A work board that stays simple.
We built FrankBoard because small teams deserve a work board that's straightforward to run and straightforward to use — without enterprise complexity or the rough edges of abandonware.
The story
FrankBoard started from a simple frustration: Kanboard's core is solid. The boards, tasks, and workflows work. But the UI felt dated, and the deployment story was scattered. We ran Kanboard ourselves. We wanted something cleaner — same simplicity, better presentation.
We didn't set out to replace Kanboard. We set out to modernize it. FrankBoard is a fork, not a from-scratch rewrite. We keep the same database schema, plugin API, and migration paths. We improve typography, spacing, board layout, and form design. We document Docker + PostgreSQL as the default path. And we add a clear commercial path for teams that want support or managed hosting: Community (free) → Pro (license + support) → Cloud (we run it).
We're building the evolution we wished existed when we ran Kanboard ourselves.
What we solve
| If you… | FrankBoard offers… |
|---|---|
| Run Kanboard but want a cleaner UI | Modernized typography, spacing, board and task layouts. Same workflows. |
| Need support for your team | Pro: commercial license and priority support. Same product, plus assurance. |
| Don't want to host it yourself | Cloud: we run it. Backups and updates included. |
| Find Jira and Asana overkill | Boards, tasks, columns, swimlanes. No custom fields or workflow engines. |
| Need data on-prem | Self-hosted Community and Pro. Your infra, your control. |
What we won't do
- We're not building a Jira clone. No custom fields, complex automation, or enterprise SSO. We stay simple.
- We're not an AI-first product. No AI-generated tasks or automation hype. We focus on clarity and usability.
- We're not SaaS-only. Self-hosted remains first-class. Cloud is an option for teams that prefer it.
- We're not a hostile fork. We don't bash Kanboard. We're a respectful evolution. Kanboard got the core right; we're polishing the experience.
The path forward
Everyone starts with Community. It's free, full-featured, and self-hosted. When you need commercial use rights or support, Pro is there. When you'd rather not run it yourself, Cloud is an option.