Quick update. Unfortunately, I didn't see much progress since purchasing it, so I had to do a return. I had high hopes, but it was not really that usable for me. Mind you, I loved the clean minimalist interface, but that alone wasn't enough to convince me to keep or transfer my Trello boards over. I don't want to get too deep into the features that I find essential to my workflow (outlined in my original post), but since there wasn't much updated in 60 days - aside from the MCP, which even the free version of Trello now has - I really didn't find value to holding on to "hope that it might get better" ...

I think if you shipped updates on a more regular schedule, and actually let users know about it, you'll be in good shape. Kan.bn has potential!

All the best to the dev ...

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I picked up Kan.bn because I genuinely like what the developer is building. The clean, minimalist approach immediately stood out to me, and after years of using Trello, I was interested in supporting a product that feels focused rather than bloated.

The UI is excellent. It’s simple, easy to navigate, and doesn’t try to overwhelm you with features. In a world where every productivity tool seems determined to become an all-in-one operating system for your life, Kan.bn’s restraint is refreshing.

That said, I’m investing in the future of the platform as much as its current capabilities.

The feature that initially grabbed my attention was MCP. That’s something I don’t currently have in my workflow, and the potential is significant. Being able to interact with project data through AI tools could become a genuine productivity multiplier. It’s one of the primary reasons I decided to buy in now rather than wait.

However, the biggest obstacle preventing me from moving my team over today is notifications.

I recently spent a weekend traveling and realized just how important real-time updates are to my workflow. One of the most useful things about my current setup is being able to receive a notification, tap it on my phone, immediately see what a team member updated, and respond within seconds.

Email notifications aren’t the same thing. Having to search through an inbox to find project updates adds friction where there shouldn’t be any. For me, notifications aren’t a nice-to-have feature. They’re essential.

My priorities are fairly straightforward:

1. Notifications
2. Mobile and desktop apps
3. MCP

All three matter, but they solve different problems. Notifications keep teams connected. Dedicated apps make the platform accessible wherever work happens. MCP has the potential to fundamentally improve how I interact with project information.

A standalone desktop application would be particularly valuable. One thing I appreciate about Trello is being able to keep it running independently instead of buried among dozens of browser tabs. The same goes for mobile. Being able to quickly check in with my team while away from my desk is increasingly important.

So, with that stated, I will continue to wait for these things to be implemented before moving over. I hope these roadmap items come sooner than later.

There are also a few smaller improvements I’d love to see. Card covers or images would make boards easier to scan visually. Themes may help with this depending on how they’re implemented. I’d also like a little more flexibility around workspace limits. I purchased the middle tier because my team is relatively small, but two workspaces feels a bit tight. Even a modest increase would provide more room to grow.

To the developer’s credit, feature requests do seem to receive attention. Additional workspaces were added after user feedback, which is encouraging and suggests the roadmap is actively evolving based on user needs.

Right now, Kan.bn has something many productivity tools struggle to achieve: a strong foundation, a clear identity, and a developer who appears to be listening.

I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes over the next several months. If notifications, dedicated apps, and MCP continue to develop as planned, I can absolutely see Kan.bn becoming a serious contender for my team’s daily workflow.

This is a 5-taco review not because Kan.bn already does everything I need, but because I believe it can. The foundation is there, the vision is clear, and I’m excited to see how the platform evolves.