GemBoards

GemBoards is a WordPress-native Kanban and Scrum project management plugin with sprint and backlog management, task tracking, and team collaboration, self-hosted on your own server.

What is GemBoards?

GemBoards is Kodezen's WordPress-native answer to Trello and Jira: a Kanban and Scrum project management plugin that runs entirely inside the WordPress admin with no per-user fees. It ships real Scrum support — sprint boards, backlogs, velocity and burndown reports — alongside drag-and-drop Kanban boards, card dependencies, recurring task automation, board templates, and role-based permissions, with the ability to invite external collaborators by email. The free core exists on WordPress.org but the differentiating Scrum features sit behind Pro, which is sold as a lifetime deal from the Kodezen store. The honest problem: this is a ~6-month-old plugin with roughly 10+ active installs and zero reviews on WordPress.org, and its marketing page claims a 4.9/5 rating that doesn't exist on the actual directory listing. The feature set is solid and the pricing is cheap, but you're paying for a roadmap, not a track record, in one of the most crowded plugin categories on WordPress.

Key Features

• *Kanban Boards** — Drag-and-drop task cards across custom multi-stage pipelines with labels, priorities, and checklists
• *Scrum & Sprint Boards** — Organize backlogs, run active sprints, and review velocity/burndown via sprint reports (Pro)
• *Card Dependencies** — Visualize task links to surface blockers before they stall a project
• *Recurring Tasks** — Automate repetitive work like reports and check-ins
• *Board Templates** — Launch new projects from reusable, customizable templates
• *Team Collaboration** — Comment threads, mentions, file attachments, and activity history on every card
• *Role-Based Permissions** — Member/Manager roles control who can view, comment, manage tasks, or change settings
• *Smart Automations & Notifications** — Rule-based task actions plus per-user notification controls
• *Custom Fields** — Add project-specific fields to capture exactly the data your workflow needs

Who is it for?

• WordPress users and agencies who want project tracking without leaving the wp-admin
• Development teams already on WordPress who need real sprint/Scrum workflow
• Freelancers and small teams tired of per-seat SaaS billing
• Marketing and content teams running editorial Kanban boards

Who is it NOT for?

• Teams needing calendar or timeline (Gantt) views — not available
• Large orgs that need deep third-party integrations — those aren't built yet
• Anyone who needs a battle-tested tool with a large support community
• Teams that live in Jira/ClickUp and don't care about WordPress