The kanban board
developers actually want.
Manage your work with sub-100ms interactions, a built-in code editor, and zero accounts. Runs in your browser.
Built to show, not tell.
Kbn is a free, local-first kanban board for solo developers. It runs entirely in your browser, answers every keystroke in under 100ms, and never asks you to make an account. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Command palette
Press ⌘K to create a task, jump to another project, toggle the theme, or export your data. Every action in Kbn has a keyboard path, so you never go hunting through a menu for the thing you do forty times a day.
Vim navigation
J and K move down and up the column, H and L move between columns. Focus follows the work, so deleting a card lands you on the next one.
Local-first by default
Every change writes to your browser the moment you make it. No spinner, no sync queue, no account — and the board still opens on a plane.
A real code editor in every task
Tasks that hold code open in Monaco — the editor behind VS Code — with syntax highlighting for 18 languages. Notes stay a plain textarea, markdown gets a live preview, and Monaco only loads when a task actually needs it.
Why developers switch to Kbn
Every mainstream task manager is built for teams and sold to managers. When one person uses one of them, most of the product is overhead. Kbn is the opposite trade.
A Jira alternative for one developer
Jira was built for programs, portfolios, and people who report on other people. Alone, its workflows, epics, and story points are ceremony you maintain for an audience of one. Kbn gives you projects, boards, columns, and tasks — and stops there.
A Trello alternative that works offline
Trello waits on a network round trip to move a card, and gives up entirely when the connection does. Kbn writes to your browser first, so dragging a card lands instantly and a dead Wi-Fi signal changes nothing about your day.
A Notion alternative that stays fast
Notion becomes a second job: databases to configure, views to maintain, and a table that crawls once it fills up. Kbn ships defaults that already work — a few columns, four priorities, sane sorting — so there is nothing to set up before you start.
Linear, for one
Linear is the tool developers actually like, but it is priced for teams, hosted in someone else's cloud, and built around collaboration you do not need. Kbn takes the speed and the keyboard model, drops the team, and costs nothing.
Everything in Kbn
No tiers, no add-ons, no upgrade prompt. The whole list below is what you get the first time you open the board.
Board and tasks
- Drag-and-drop columns and cards
- Multiple projects, multiple boards each
- Tags you define, rename, and recolor
- Due dates with an overdue count in the header
- Four priority levels on a card accent bar
- Per-column sorting by priority, due date, or recent edit
- Archive with one-key restore
- Undo and redo across every action
Keyboard
- ⌘K command palette for every action
- Vim-style J, K, H, L navigation
- Quick add with #tag and @column syntax
- / to filter tasks across the board
- B to copy a kebab-case git branch name
- C to copy a task as markdown
- N, E, D to create, edit, and delete
- ? for the full shortcut sheet
Your data
- Stored in your browser, not our database
- JSON export and import, one shape everywhere
- Optional email login for cloud backup and sync
- Installable PWA with offline caching
- Dark and light themes with no flash on load
- Layouts, card styles, and background patterns
- Activity log of recent changes
- No account, no quota, no paywall
Free, no signup, nothing to install. Your first task is about four seconds away.
Frequently asked questions
The things developers ask before they open the board for the first time.
Is Kbn free?
Yes. Kbn is free with no tiers, no quotas, no trial, and no card. There is nothing to buy and no feature locked behind an account — the whole board is the free version.
Do I need an account to use Kbn?
No. Open the board and start writing tasks. Email login is optional and exists for one reason: backing your board up to the cloud and syncing it between devices.
Where is my data stored?
In your browser's localStorage, on the device you are using. Nothing leaves the machine unless you sign in and turn on cloud backup, or export a JSON file yourself.
Does Kbn work offline?
Yes. Kbn is an installable PWA with a service worker, and every change writes locally first, so the board opens and stays usable with no connection at all.
Is Kbn a good Jira or Trello alternative?
For one developer, yes. Kbn drops the parts of those tools that only make sense with a team — sprints, story points, epics, workflows, roles, admin panels — and keeps projects, boards, columns, tasks, and a keyboard shortcut for everything.
Can I use Kbn with a team?
No, and that is deliberate. There are no shared boards, comments, assignees, or roles. Kbn is a personal tool, and staying personal is what keeps it fast and free of configuration.
What can the built-in code editor do?
Tasks whose language is code open in Monaco, the editor that powers VS Code, with syntax highlighting for 18 languages. Markdown tasks get a live preview pane, and plain notes stay a fast textarea.
How do I get my data out of Kbn?
Export the whole board as a JSON file from the command palette or settings, and import it back on any device. The exported file is the same shape as what the app stores, so nothing is lost in translation.
How fast is Kbn?
Interactions land in under 100ms because there is no server in the loop. Reading and writing localStorage is instant by design rather than by optimisation, so dragging a card or opening the palette never waits on a network.
Which keyboard shortcuts does Kbn support?
J, K, H, and L navigate cards and columns. N creates a task, E edits, D deletes, A opens quick add, / filters, B copies a git branch name, C copies a task as markdown, and Command-K opens the palette. Press ? for the full list.