Zenkit

Zenkit is a German project management and productivity suite developed by Axonic Informationssysteme GmbH, based in Karlsruhe, Germany. What started as a flexible Kanban and database tool has evolved into a comprehensive suite of products that together offer an alternative to tools like Notion, Airtable, Trello, and even Slack. With data stored exclusively in Germany and a strong focus on GDPR compliance, Zenkit is particularly attractive to European organizations.

German Precision and Data Protection

Zenkit is headquartered in Karlsruhe, in the heart of Germany's technology region. All data is stored in German data centers, ensuring compliance with Germany's strict data protection laws and GDPR. For European businesses, especially those in regulated industries like finance and healthcare, this German data residency is a significant advantage over US-based alternatives.

Germany is known for its stringent approach to privacy and data protection, and Zenkit reflects these values in its product design and business practices. The company provides detailed documentation on data processing, security measures, and compliance certifications.

The Zenkit Suite of Products

Zenkit has evolved from a single product into a suite of interconnected tools. Zenkit Base is the core product, offering flexible project management with multiple views. Zenkit To Do is a task management app for personal and team tasks. Zenkit Hypernotes is a wiki and knowledge management tool with linked notes. Zenkit Projects provides team project management with resource planning. Zenchat offers team communication integrated with your projects.

These products can work independently or together as an integrated workspace. Data flows between products, so a task in Zenkit To Do can reference a document in Hypernotes or a project in Zenkit Projects. This integration provides flexibility similar to Notion while offering specialized tools for different use cases.

Flexible Views and Data Structure

Zenkit Base's core strength is its ability to view and manipulate data in multiple ways. The same underlying data can be displayed as a Kanban board (like Trello), a spreadsheet table (like Airtable), a list view, a calendar, a mind map, or a hierarchy view. You can switch between views instantly, and changes in one view are reflected in all others.

This flexibility means Zenkit can adapt to different workflows within the same team. A marketing team might use the Kanban view for campaign planning, the calendar view for content scheduling, and the table view for tracking metrics. The underlying data structure supports custom fields, relationships between items, and formulas, similar to Airtable.

Zenkit Hypernotes: Knowledge Management

Hypernotes is Zenkit's answer to Notion and wiki tools. It provides a knowledge base where notes are connected through bidirectional links, creating a network of related information. This approach to knowledge management helps teams capture institutional knowledge and discover connections between ideas.

Hypernotes includes features like Markdown editing, rich embeds, and team collaboration. Notes can be organized hierarchically and through linking, providing both structured navigation and serendipitous discovery. Integration with Zenkit Base allows linking notes to project items.

Task and Project Management

Zenkit To Do provides simple, focused task management for individuals and teams. It includes features like due dates, reminders, recurring tasks, and smart lists that automatically organize tasks based on criteria. The simplicity makes it accessible for team members who don't need the full power of Zenkit Base.

Zenkit Projects adds more sophisticated project management features including Gantt charts, resource management, and workload views. This is designed for teams running complex projects that need visibility into timelines and team capacity. Projects integrates with the broader Zenkit suite, allowing seamless flow from project planning to task execution.

Zenchat: Team Communication

Rather than relying on Slack or Microsoft Teams, Zenkit offers Zenchat as part of its suite. Zenchat provides team messaging with channels, direct messages, and threads. The key advantage is integration with the rest of Zenkit - you can easily share and discuss items from your projects without switching between disconnected tools.

While Zenchat may not have all the features of dedicated chat platforms, having communication integrated with project management reduces context-switching and keeps conversations connected to relevant work items.

Pricing and Plans

Zenkit offers a free tier for personal use that includes the core features of each product with some limitations on items and file storage. The Plus plan at 9 euros per user per month removes limits and adds features like unlimited items, more storage, and priority support. The Business plan adds enterprise features like SSO, admin controls, and advanced permissions.

The suite pricing model allows you to pick which products you need rather than paying for everything. This modularity can be cost-effective for teams that only need specific functionality.

Limitations to Consider

While Zenkit's suite approach offers flexibility, it can feel fragmented compared to the all-in-one experience of Notion. Teams need to decide which products to use and how to integrate them. The learning curve for the full suite is steeper than for a single-purpose tool.

Zenkit is a smaller company than Notion or Atlassian, which means a smaller ecosystem of integrations and community resources. Some advanced features that power users expect from tools like Notion (like databases in pages or advanced API capabilities) may not be available.

Who Should Use Zenkit

Zenkit is ideal for European organizations that need flexible project management with German data hosting. It's particularly suited for teams that want the versatility of Notion or Airtable but need GDPR-compliant data residency. Organizations that value having specialized tools (rather than one monolithic platform) will appreciate the suite approach.