Small business owners are managing more moving parts than ever—ideas, tasks, requests, deadlines, product updates, vendor needs, customer issues, and daily operations. For years, tools like Trello, Jira, and Asana helped teams stay organized. But over time, many of these once-beloved platforms became bloated, slow, and overly complex. Enter Fizzy, a fresh new take on kanban created by 37signals, the company behind Basecamp and HEY. Fizzy brings back the speed, simplicity, and joy of tracking work—something small business owners desperately need.

Special Interview with Jason Fried, founder 37 Signals

Key Takeaways

• Fizzy is a fast, modern, lightweight kanban tool built by 37signals.
• You can track up to 1,000 cards completely free, with unlimited users.
• After 1,000 cards, the paid plan is only $20/month for unlimited cards and unlimited users.
• Fizzy focuses on clarity, speed, and avoiding feature bloat common in traditional tools.
• Because it’s open source, businesses can self-host it or customize it for their own needs.

A Fresh Start in a Stale Category

The task-management space has become crowded, but not necessarily better. The founders of Fizzy point out that the popular tools many entrepreneurs grew up with have evolved into something they were never meant to be: cluttered, corporate, and slow. Trello got heavier. Jira became a chore. Asana kept adding features that made it feel more like a full operating system than a simple workflow tool.

Fizzy is the opposite. It brings kanban back to its roots—simple, visual, fast, and enjoyable. For small business owners juggling multiple responsibilities, this kind of simplicity is refreshing.

What Makes Fizzy Different

Fizzy isn’t trying to reinvent productivity. It’s stripping it back to what matters: seeing what needs to get done and moving work forward.

Here’s what stands out:

• Modern, fast kanban boards that feel fresh instead of corporate.
• Auto-close, which automatically prunes old, inactive cards.
• Webhooks, allowing updates to flow into Slack or Campfire.
• Stacked notifications, so you never lose track of what needs attention.
• Information bubbles, which surface cards that have been ignored too long.
• Public boards, letting teams or communities follow progress transparently.
• Stamps, showing who created a card and when.

These are small touches, but for entrepreneurs managing clients, team members, or multiple projects, they make a big difference.

Transparent Pricing Designed for Small Teams

One of the biggest advantages of Fizzy is how straightforward its pricing is. You can track up to 1,000 cards for free, with:

• No time limit
• No user limit
• No credit card required
• 1GB of included storage

If your business grows beyond 1,000 cards—which is a good problem to have—the paid plan is just $20/month for unlimited cards and users. That’s radically simpler and more affordable than many project management tools.

For small business owners who want a predictable, no-nonsense tool, this approach is appealing.

Open Source Means Control and Flexibility

One standout feature that sets Fizzy apart: it’s open source.

This means:

• You can run Fizzy on your own servers.
• You can modify it to fit your workflow.
• You can extend it if you have unique business needs.
• Developers can contribute improvements for the entire community.

Most kanban tools lock you into their ecosystem. Fizzy does the opposite. For entrepreneurs who value ownership and flexibility, this is a huge plus.

Practical Ways Small Business Owners Can Use Fizzy

Because Fizzy is simple and adaptable, it works for just about any business type. Entrepreneurs can use it for:

• Client project tracking
• Event planning and logistics
• Content calendars and publishing
• Customer support issues
• Product development ideas
• Property management tasks
• Team workflows
• Personal productivity

Fizzy isn’t pretending to be an all-in-one business system. It focuses on doing one thing extremely well: helping you keep progress moving.

A Tool With a Human Touch

Fizzy launches with a personal letter from Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals, inviting users to “poke around” and share what they think. That tone, combined with clear documentation and simple onboarding, reflects a company that values craftsmanship over complexity.

For small business owners tired of overloaded dashboards and cluttered screens, Fizzy offers a tool that feels thoughtfully built—because it is.

Why Fizzy Deserves a Look

Whether you’re a solopreneur or managing a growing team, your task management system shouldn’t slow you down. Fizzy brings energy and clarity back to a category that has become stale. It respects your time, cuts the complexity, and gives you a dependable, affordable place to track the work that matters.

Credit to 37signals, makers of Basecamp and HEY, for creating a tool that puts simplicity first again.