# obsidian kanban plugin alternative

A modern alternative to the Obsidian Kanban plugin

The classic Kanban plugin still works, but it's aging. BaseBar is a native Mac app that reads the same task notes and shows them as a board — one click away in the menu bar, with Obsidian closed.

See the live demo →

macOS 13+ · One-time, from $9.99 · Not affiliated with Obsidian

# the short version

Why people look for a Kanban plugin alternative

The Obsidian Kanban plugin has been the default way to get a board in your vault for years. It's community-maintained, and updates have slowed while Obsidian itself moved forward — most notably with Bases, the built-in way to turn notes into databases and views. That shift is why a lot of people are re-evaluating how they do kanban in Obsidian in 2026.

If you just want a board you can open fast and update without hunting for the right tab, the plugin isn't the only option anymore.

Your realistic options in 2026

1. Obsidian Bases (built-in, free). Bases can group notes by a property and show them as cards. With a community kanban view it looks like a board. It lives inside Obsidian, so you open the app and the right view to use it.

2. The Kanban plugin (still works). If your boards already depend on its - [ ] checklist format, it keeps working — just don't expect frequent updates. Worth knowing: that format isn't a dead end, because BaseBar reads those files as they are.

3. BaseBar (menu bar, Obsidian closed). BaseBar isn't a plugin. It's a small macOS app that shows a board in the menu bar — reading an Obsidian Base, a folder of notes, or a Kanban-plugin board note. Drag a card and it rewrites exactly one line in the file. Obsidian can be closed the whole time.

# How it works

Your Base, in the bar, in three moves.

No sync engine, no account, nothing to configure twice. The board you already built in Obsidian, shown where your eyes already are — watch it happen.

  1. Tasks.base
    filters:
    inFolder("tasks")
    views:
    groupBy: status
    order: due, priority
    todo
    Reply to testers
    in progress
    Ship v1.0
    done
    Set up DB
    01

    Point it at a .base

    BaseBar reads that file: its filters, the view you picked, what it groups by, the column order, and your own property names. It never writes to the .base.

  2. 312:09
    TasksMedia planReading
    todo
    Reply to testers
    Draft tweet
    in progress
    Ship v1.0
    Record demo
    done
    Set up DB
    02

    That view lives in the menu bar

    One click and the board is there, over whatever app you're in. Several bases? Each one is a tab — and one base with two views can be two tabs.

  3. Doing
    Ship v1.0
    Done
    Ship v1.0.md
    status: doingdone
    03

    Drag a card — one line changes

    BaseBar rewrites only the property the view groups by, inside that one note. Everything else in the file is untouched, and Obsidian picks it up whenever you open it.

Where BaseBar fits

BaseBar works for your Obsidian vault, not instead of it. Your tasks stay as plain Markdown — notes with frontmatter, or checklist lines in a board note. Nothing moves into a database of ours, and whatever you had open in Obsidian stays exactly as it was.

The difference is access: instead of opening Obsidian and finding a view, your board is one click away in the menu bar, from any app, all day.

# faq

People also ask

Is the Obsidian Kanban plugin abandoned?
It still installs and works, but it's a community plugin and its release pace has slowed a lot. Many people now look for something that keeps up — especially since Obsidian shipped Bases, which changed how databases and views work in the vault.
What's the best alternative to the Obsidian Kanban plugin?
There's no single answer. Obsidian's built-in Bases can render a board for free inside the app. If you want that board outside Obsidian — one click away in the Mac menu bar, with Obsidian closed — BaseBar reads the same task notes and shows them as a kanban board.
Does BaseBar replace the Kanban plugin?
For most boards, yes — including the plugin's own files. BaseBar reads a Kanban-plugin note directly: its ## headings are the columns and its - [ ] lines are the cards, and dragging a card moves that line under another heading. It can also read an Obsidian Base or a plain folder of notes, whichever your vault uses.
Do I need the Kanban plugin installed to use BaseBar?
No — and you can uninstall it. BaseBar is a standalone macOS app that reads the board file itself, so a board the plugin created keeps working after the plugin is gone. No plugins, no configuration in Obsidian required.

# Pricing

One price. You own it.

Early access
$9.99$19.99

One-time. Price goes up after launch.

  • ✓One-time purchase — no subscription
  • ✓1 user, up to 2 Macs
  • ✓30-day money-back refund
  • ✓Free updates for v1.x

macOS 13+ · Secure checkout when it opens

# what you get

  • The BaseBar app

    The native menu-bar app itself — a signed .app you drag into Applications. Works whether Obsidian is open or closed.

  • A starter board if you need one

    No Base yet? The setup wizard writes a small working board into your vault — no plugins to enable, nothing to configure.

  • Free updates through 1.x

    Every 1.x release is included — you buy once, updates keep coming at no extra charge.

How you get it

  1. 1Buy once
  2. 2Get an email with your download link
  3. 3Open the file, drag to Applications

No account to create, no activation server. It's just a file you own.

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