Should you build a product in this niche? An answer from the numbers: search demand, competitors, napkin economics and what to build first.
Updated · How TGGET measures a niche
Verdict · confidence: high
Decision: maybe. High demand (33.1k/mo) and open App Store (giants share 14%) are offset by closed search (0 weak SERPs) and expensive paid traffic ($12.45 CPC). The market is saturated by Trello/Atlassian. Entry is viable only via a narrow sub-niche (e.g., 'Kanban for Software Dev') to bypass general competition.
| Factor | Value | Level | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demand | 33,100 searches a month | high | +1 |
| Change over a year | 0% over a year | stable | 0 |
| App store | 7 of 49 apps with 10,000+ ratings, median 39 ratings | open | +1 |
| Search results | 0 of 3 checked search results are weak, 0 strong | taken | -1 |
| Paid traffic | $12.45 a click, people pay in this niche | expensive | -1 |
Sum of scores: 0. The verdict is computed by rules from the numbers of the research; its explanation is written by the model.
Source: TGGET, researched on 29 September 2026.
Entry point: None of the checked phrases has weak search results.
Positioning
A specialized, lightweight Kanban board for software development teams, focusing on visual workflow and simplicity, avoiding the bloat of enterprise suites.
For whom: Software developers, tech leads, and small dev teams who find Trello/Asana too complex or slow.
Main job: Visualize and manage software development tasks (bugs, features, sprints) in a simple, fast interface.
Platform
WEB+MOBILE
Monetization: Freemium SaaS · Competitors like KanbanTool and Trello use freemium. Paid apps in App Store are rare (3 paid vs 46 free), suggesting SaaS subscription is the standard model for this niche.
1Existing tools are too heavy, slow, and cluttered with features I don't need for simple task tracking. strong
Evidence: Community discussions on HackerNews and GitHub highlight demand for 'single HTML file' and 'simple' solutions (e.g., Nullboard, 4147 stars).
What the product does: Provide a minimal, fast-loading interface with no unnecessary bells and whistles.
2Lack of specific support for software development workflows (e.g., linking commits, issue tracking). strong
Evidence: Informational clusters show high intent for 'kanban board for software development' (110 searches).
What the product does: Integrate dev-specific fields (commit hash, PR link) directly into cards.
3Difficulty finding free or open-source alternatives that are actually usable and maintained. medium
Evidence: High search volume for 'opensource kanban board' (260) and 'free kanban board' (1300).
What the product does: Offer a robust free tier or open-source core to build trust and lower barrier to entry.
| Feature | Pain | Priority | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Kanban Board with Drag-and-Drop | №1 | must | Core utility for visualizing workflow, addressing the 'simple' pain point. |
| Dev-Specific Card Fields (Commit/PR Links) | №2 | must | Targets the specific 'software development' sub-niche with high intent. |
| Free Tier / Open Source Core | №3 | should | Addresses the strong community demand for free/open tools and lowers acquisition cost. |
| Competitor | Type | Pricing | App | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trello.com Capture, organize, and tackle your to-dos from anywhere | SaaS | yes | no | — |
| atlassian.com Collaboration software for software, IT and business teams | Atlassian | SaaS | no | no | — |
| kanbantool.com Kanban Tool – Доски Канбан Для Бизнеса | ПО Канбан | Kanban Tool | SaaS | yes | yes | — |
| kanbanflow.com KanbanFlow - Lean project management. Simplified. | SaaS | yes | no | — |
| kanboard.org Kanboard | site | no | no | — |
| teamplate.io Teamplate - All in One Perfect Workflow | SaaS | no | no | — |
| Microsoft To Do Microsoft Corporation | App Store | free | yes | 4.7 · 267,762 |
| Todoist: To Do List & Calendar Todoist Inc. | App Store | free | yes | 4.8 · 129,289 |
| monday.com - AI Work Platform monday.com Ltd. | App Store | free | yes | 4.8 · 48,028 |
| Asana: Work Management Asana, Inc. | App Store | free | yes | 4.7 · 15,649 |
| Jackaroo King - Original WEJOY PTE. LTD. | App Store | free | yes | 4.5 · 12,953 |
Price
$10-15/month per user
Competitors like KanbanTool and Trello Premium charge in this range (competitors.sites.pricing).
Does it add up
Negative unit economics at current CPC. Payback period > 1 month. Requires lowering CAC via organic search or communities.
Customer acquisition cost
$124.50 (Assuming 10% conversion from click to paid user, based on $12.45 CPC).
Paid search: CPC $12.45 · bids $4.41–$22.55 · competition: Moderate
Revenue per customer
$120 (Assuming $10/mo price and 12-month retention).
Assumptions to validate:
Core · 9 · 37,850
kanban board (33,100) · freeware kanban board (1,300) · kanban board program (1,300) · kanban board for project management (720) · digital kanban board (320) · kanban electronic board (320)
Product · 18 · 3,270
kanban board software (1,300) · kanban board app (590) · kanban board application (590) · kanban board online (260) · web kanban board (260) · kanban board for software development (110)
Commercial · 7 · 2,000
kanban board free (1,300) · online kanban board free (260) · free kanban board app (110) · free electronic kanban board (260) · kanban board software free (50) · kanban board software download (10)
Comparisons · 6 · 480
best free kanban board (210) · best kanban board app (50) · best kanban board (170) · best kanban board software (30) · best free kanban board app (10) · best free kanban board software (10)
home · Core
title: Kanban Board for Software Dev (29)
H1: Simple Kanban Board for Developers
description: Visualize your dev workflow. A lightweight, open-source Kanban board for software teams. (88)
kanban board · kanban board for software development
Competitors like Trello dominate general terms. Focus on 'software development' long-tail.
feature · Product
title: Dev-First Kanban Features (25)
H1: Kanban Board with Commit Links
description: Link commits and PRs directly to tasks. The best Kanban board app for agile teams. (82)
kanban board software · kanban board app
Target high-intent product queries.
comparison · Comparisons
title: Best Free Kanban Board 2025 (27)
H1: Trello vs. Our Kanban Board
description: Compare the best free Kanban boards. See why developers choose simplicity over bloat. (85)
best free kanban board · best kanban board
Capture comparison traffic where competitors are weak.
| Topic | Format | When | Phrases |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to use Kanban for Software Development | guide | March (peak month) | kanban board for software development · software development kanban board example |
| Open Source Kanban Tools Comparison | article | September (peak month) | opensource kanban board · kanban board software open source |
Yes, we offer a robust free tier for individuals and small teams, plus an open-source option.
Yes, our dev-focused board allows direct linking of commits and pull requests to cards.
Yes, available on iOS and Android for on-the-go task management.
Name: DevKanban (9/30)
Subtitle: Board for Developers (20/30)
Keywords: kanban,project,management,software,development,agile,scrum,trello,github (72/100)
Category: Productivity
Promotional text: The Kanban board built for developers. Simple, fast, and integrated with your workflow.
Screenshots:
Name: DevKanban - Kanban Board (24/30)
Short description: Visual project management for software teams. (45/80)
Key phrases: kanban, board, project, management, software, development, agile, scrum, trello, github, task, tracker
DevKanban is a lightweight Kanban board designed for software development teams. Manage your sprints, track bugs, and link commits directly to tasks. Simple, fast, and free to start.
The research has no Google Play data: recommendations rely on queries and the App Store.
Benchmarks: 4.5+ · 50+ (based on median 39 for niche apps) · Localizations: en, ru
| Name | .com | .app | App Store | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| devkanban devkanban | taken | free | free | Directly targets the 'software development' sub-niche. |
| kanbandev kanbandev | taken | free | free | Clear keyword combination for SEO. |
| simplekanban simplekanban | taken | taken | free | Highlights the 'simple' value proposition. |
| agileboard agileboard | taken | free | free | Targets 'agile' community. |
| kanbanflow kanbanflow | taken | free | free | Note: Taken by competitor. Use 'kanbanflowapp' or similar. |
Domains checked via RDAP, names via the App Store. Check trademarks before registering.
Kanban for Developers
Visualize your workflow. Link commits. Ship faster.
Yes, our core features are free for up to 5 users.
Yes, you can link commits and PRs directly to tasks.
| Channel | What the data supports | First step | Effort | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HackerNews & GitHub Communities | High engagement with 'simple' and 'open source' tools. 27k+ GitHub stars for similar projects. | Post 'Show HN' for the open-source version. | low | now |
| Long-tail SEO Organic search | General SERPs are closed, but 'software development' sub-niche has lower competition. | Create 'Kanban for Software Dev' guide. | medium | at launch |
| App Store Optimization App stores | Giants dominate general terms, but niche keywords like 'kanban for dev' may be open. | Optimize metadata for 'kanban board app' and 'project management'. | medium | at launch |
Metrics:
Interview questions:
| Risk | What to do |
|---|---|
| High CPC ($12.45) makes paid acquisition unviable. | Focus on organic channels (SEO, Communities) and product-led growth. |
| Saturated market with Trello/Atlassian. | Niche down strictly to 'Software Development' to avoid direct comparison. |
The report was written by a language model from the collected research data and may be inaccurate; each recommendation cites its source, verify it against the raw data. Generated 2026-09-29T06:20:36+00:00.
Data: search demand, search results, the App Store, public-interest and developer community signals. The verdict is computed by rules from these numbers; the explanation and the plan are written by a language model. Both are evidence to check, not a promise.
There is demand, but not everything is in its favour. TGGET scored “kanban board” 0 on a scale from -6 to +5. In its favour: demand is high, the app stores are open. Against it: search results are held by strong sites, paid traffic is expensive. The verdict is “Needs validation”.
TGGET measured 33,100 monthly searches for “kanban board” in the United States in September 2026. Search interest is about stable: +0% over a year.
0 of 3 checked search results are weak and 0 are strong. 49 competing apps were found in the App Store; 7 of them have more than 10,000 ratings, and the median app has 39 ratings.
A click in paid search costs about $12.45, and competitors in this niche charge for their products.
None of the phrases TGGET checked has weak search results, so there is no easy way in through search.
TGGET computes the verdict by rules from five measured factors: demand, its change over a year, competition in the app stores, the strength of the search results and the cost of paid traffic. Each factor adds or takes away points and the sum decides, so the same numbers always give the same answer. A language model writes the explanation and the plan; it does not choose the verdict.
Three full researches are free: demand, sub-niches, competitors, App Store and community signals, and a report like this one. Type a phrase or describe the idea in your own words.
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