Kanduck vs Trello
A free Trello alternative that builds the board for you
Kanduck is a free kanban board that does most of what Trello does, without the paywall on views and custom fields. Tell Dilly, the duckling assistant, what you're juggling and the lists and cards appear. No account to start.
Free, no account to start. Moving from Trello? Import your JSON export, or describe the board in a sentence and Dilly rebuilds it.
Kanduck and Trello side by side
| Feature | Trello | Kanduck |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, then Standard $5 per user a month billed annually ($6 monthly) and Premium $10 ($12.50 monthly) | Free for up to 10 people. Then Team: $19 a month, or $169 a year, for the whole workspace however many people join |
| Boards on the free plan | Up to 10 per Workspace | Up to 200 per space |
| Cards | Unlimited | Up to 3,000 per board |
| Starting a board | Pick a template or build it by hand | Describe it in a sentence and Dilly builds the lists and first cards, or import a Trello JSON export |
| Labels, members, due and start dates | Yes | Yes: coloured labels with names, people assigned by email, start and due dates, mark complete, and an Assigned to you list on Home |
| Checklists, comments, attachments | Yes, files up to 10 MB each on Free | Yes: checklists, comments on every card, files up to 10 MB each, and links |
| Archive, copy and move | Yes | Yes: archive cards and lists, copy a card or list, move or copy to another board |
| Views | Board view on Free; Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map on Premium | Board, Calendar, Timeline, Table and Dashboard on the free plan. No Map |
| Filtering | Filter by label, member and due date | Filter by label, person, due date and words |
| Custom fields | Standard and Premium | Free: text, number, date, checkbox and dropdown fields, up to 12 per board |
| Templates | Board templates; card templates on paid plans | Board templates from any board, and card templates you save once and use on any board |
| Automation | 250 Workspace command runs a month on Free, 1,000 on Standard, unlimited on Premium | Simple rules (when a card is added, moved or completed: add a label, assign someone, set a due date, mark complete, move or archive it), repeating cards and a morning reminder for cards due today, starting today or due tomorrow. No buttons, schedules or calendar commands |
| Working together | Comments on cards, and the board updates live for everyone | The board updates live too, and you also see who is on it and where a card will land while a teammate is still dragging it. Every card has a chat with @mentions, and Telegram or email tells people they were mentioned |
| Voting, watching and card numbers | Yes | Yes: vote on a card, watch it to hear about new comments, and every card has a number such as #12 |
| Mobile and offline | Native iOS and Android apps | Installs from the browser as an app on iPhone, Android and desktop, and keeps working offline. No App Store app |
| Integrations | Power-Ups and integrations such as Slack | No Power-Ups. Connect AI apps over MCP (Claude included), and Telegram |
| Needs an account to start | Yes | No |
Trello details are from trello.com/pricing, checked November 3, 2026. Plans change, so check there for today's numbers.
What Kanduck does differently
- Every card has a chat. Talk about a card on the card, mention a teammate with @, and they hear about it on Telegram or by email. Dilly and your connected AI app can join in. You also see who's on the board and watch a card move while a teammate is dragging it.
- The views are free. Calendar, Timeline, Table and Dashboard are on Trello's Premium plan. In Kanduck they're on every board, along with custom fields and card templates.
- It builds the board. Type "Plan our wedding next June" and Dilly sets up the lists and the first cards while you watch. You can also start from a blank list or a template.
- Nothing is ever overdue. A late card says "Was Tue", not "overdue", and a missed day doesn't break anything. It's made to be kind to a busy week.
- Your own AI can work on it, with you in control. Connect an AI app over MCP (here is how it works with Claude) and choose Read only, Propose changes (it asks, you approve each request) or Can edit. Every change carries the connection's name, anything an AI did can be undone from History, and a card it deletes waits in Trash for 30 days. How agent control works.
- It lives in your chats. Connect Telegram, forward a link and it becomes a summarised note, or send /add to put a card on any board.
- It works offline. Install it on your phone or laptop and keep working without a connection. Changes sync when you're back.
When Trello is still the better choice
Kanduck covers most of what Trello's boards do. It doesn't have everything. Pick Trello if you need Power-Ups and integrations such as Slack, automation buttons, schedules and calendar commands, Map view, native mobile apps, or admin controls such as SSO for a large organisation. Pick Kanduck if you want a board for yourself, your family or a small team that is up and running in a minute and costs nothing.
Moving from Trello
Export your board from Trello (board menu, Print, export, and share, Export as JSON), then choose New board, Trello in Kanduck and pick the file. The lists, cards, labels, checklists, start and due dates, links and comments come across, and archived lists and cards stay archived. People aren't matched, because Trello's export has no email addresses, so assign cards again after the import. Files uploaded to Trello stay as links to Trello. Keep your Trello board open until you're settled; nothing there is changed.
What it costs a team
Trello bills every member: a team of 25 on Standard pays $125 a month billed annually, and $250 on Premium, which is where Calendar, Timeline, Table and Dashboard live. Kanduck is free up to 10 people and $19 a month for the whole workspace after that, with every view included. Try the slider on the pricing page.
Questions
Is Kanduck really free?
Yes, for up to 10 people, with every feature. Past that, Team is $19 a month ($169 a year) for the whole workspace, however many people join. The built-in AI assistant, Dilly, has a daily cap per workspace, and you can switch it to your own model if you want no cap. See pricing.
Is Kanduck a good Trello alternative for a team?
For small teams, yes: you can share a board by link or invite people by email, everyone sees changes live, and a card can have labels, people, start and due dates, a checklist, attachments and comments. If you need Power-Ups, advanced automation, Map view or admin controls, Trello is still the better fit.
Do I need an account to use Kanduck?
No. You can build and use boards straight away. When you want them on another device, save them with Google, an email link or a passkey.
Can I import my boards from Trello?
Yes. Export the board from Trello as JSON, then choose New board, Trello in Kanduck. Lists, cards, labels, checklists, dates, links and comments come across, and archived items stay archived. People aren't matched, because the export has no email addresses.
Is Trello free?
Yes, with limits. As of November 3, 2026, Trello's Free plan allows up to 10 boards per Workspace, unlimited cards and 250 Workspace command runs a month. Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views are on Premium. Kanduck's free plan includes Board, Calendar, Timeline, Table and Dashboard.
Can I let an AI app work on my board without losing control?
Yes. Add Kanduck's address as a connector in an AI app that supports MCP, approve it once, and choose Read only, Propose changes or Can edit, and which boards it can see. In Propose changes mode nothing happens until you approve it, and anything an AI did can be undone. You can disconnect it whenever you want. See how it works.
Does Kanduck have everything Trello has?
Not everything, but close for day-to-day boards. Kanduck has labels, people, start and due dates, checklists, attachments, comments, custom fields, templates, voting, watching, simple automation rules, reminders, and Board, Calendar, Timeline, Table and Dashboard views. It doesn't have Power-Ups, Map view, automation buttons and schedules, native mobile apps or enterprise admin controls.
Does Kanduck have automation like Trello's Butler?
Simple rules, yes. Pick a trigger (a card is added to a list, moved to a list, or marked complete) and an action (add a label, assign someone, set a due date, mark it complete, move it or archive it). There are no buttons, schedules or calendar commands.
Can a team chat and work together live in Kanduck?
Yes. Everyone on a board sees changes as they happen, you can see who is on it, and a card moves on your screen while a teammate drags it. Each card has its own chat with @mentions, and people are told on Telegram or by email when they're mentioned or when a card they watch gets a comment. Dilly and a connected AI app can reply in the chat too.
Try it with your own board
The quickest way to judge a Trello alternative is to use it for something real. It takes one sentence.