Top 10 Free Alternatives to Leanstack in 2025

As Leanstack continues to help entrepreneurs with business modeling, there are free alternatives available that offer various features suitable for different needs. Whether you're looking for visual planning tools, detailed project management platforms, or business model canvas templates, this guide covers the top 10 free Leanstack alternatives for 2025.

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1. Google Workspace (Including Google Docs, Sheets, Forms)

Description: A suite of online productivity tools for document creation, spreadsheets, and forms.
Functionality: Document creation, data analysis, surveys, and collaborative editing.
Free Plan: Yes, with substantial storage.
Collaboration: Real-time collaboration and sharing features.
Integrations: Seamless integration with other Google services.
Accessibility: Available on any device with an internet connection.
Learn more about Google Workspace

2. Notion

Description: A versatile workspace tool for notes, wikis, databases, and project management.
Functionality: Project planning, note-taking, task management, and knowledge base creation.
Free Plan: Yes, for individual use with some limitations.
Customization: Highly customizable with templates.
Collaboration: Allows for team collaboration (paid plans for full team functionality).
Organization: Combines different tools into one platform.
Explore Notion

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3. Trello

Description: A visual project management tool using boards, lists, and cards.
Functionality: Task tracking, project management, team collaboration.
Free Plan: Yes, for individuals and small teams.
Ease of Use: Simple drag-and-drop interface.
Collaboration: Easy team collaboration with comments and assignments.
Integrations: Integrates with many other business tools.
Discover Trello

4. Miro (Free Plan)

Description: An online collaborative whiteboard platform ideal for brainstorming and visual planning.
Functionality: Business model canvas creation, mind mapping, and visual collaboration.
Free Plan: Limited number of boards, basic collaboration.
Templates: Offers various templates for different frameworks (including BMC).
Collaboration: Supports real-time collaboration with multiple users.
Visuals: Excellent visual tools for brainstorming and planning.
Learn more about Miro

5. Airtable

Description: A spreadsheet-database hybrid that's highly flexible.
Functionality: Project management, CRM, and general data organization.
Free Plan: Yes, with limitations on records and storage.
Flexibility: Offers various data types and views for different needs.
Collaboration: Easy collaboration with team members.
Automation: Allows for some basic automations within the platform.
Explore Airtable

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6. Canvanizer

Description: A dedicated tool for creating business model canvases.
Functionality: Focuses on creating and sharing business model canvases.
Free Plan: Yes, fully free for creating canvases.
Ease of Use: Simple and intuitive interface.
Collaboration: Supports real-time collaborative editing.
Accessibility: Accessible via web browser.
Discover Canvanizer

7. ClickUp (Free Plan)

Description: A comprehensive project management platform.
Functionality: Task management, project tracking, document creation, includes business model canvas templates.
Free Plan: Yes, with limits on storage and features.
Customization: Highly customizable workspaces.
Collaboration: Offers several options for team collaboration.
Integrations: Connects with other business tools.
Learn more about ClickUp

8. Strategyzer Tools (Free Resources)

Description: A collection of tools and templates, including the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas, offered by Strategyzer.
Functionality: Business model and value proposition design.
Free Plan: Yes, they offer downloadable templates and guides for free.
Expertise: Based on established business model frameworks.
Educational: Useful for learning the core concepts of business model design.
Offline Use: Can be used offline (downloadable templates).
Explore Strategyzer Tools

9. Figma/FigJam (Free Plan)

Description: Collaborative design tool with whiteboard capabilities.
Functionality: Design mockups, brainstorming, collaborative whiteboarding.
Free Plan: Yes, with limitations on projects and team members.
Visuals: Excellent visual tools for design thinking.
Collaboration: Real-time collaboration capabilities.
Templates: Offers templates for various uses.
Discover Figma/FigJam

10. BoldDesk

Description: Customer service management tool.
Functionality: Customer support ticketing, live chat, help desk management.
Free Plan: Yes, limited features, good for very small startups.
Integrations: Connects with other tools.
Scalability: Can scale as business grows.
Customer Support: Offers customer support options.
Learn more about BoldDesk

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FAQ

1. Is Google Workspace a good free alternative to Leanstack?

Yes, Google Workspace offers a free plan with robust storage, real-time collaboration, and seamless integration with other Google services. Learn more about Google Workspace

2. Can I use Notion for free?

Notion offers a free plan for individual use with some limitations, making it a versatile tool for project planning, note-taking, and task management. Explore Notion

3. What makes Trello a good alternative to Leanstack?

Trello provides a free plan for individuals and small teams, featuring a simple drag-and-drop interface and easy team collaboration. Discover Trello

4. What free features does Miro offer?

Miro's free plan includes limited boards and basic collaboration features, ideal for business model canvas creation, mind mapping, and visual planning. See Miro's free plan

5. How flexible is Airtable as a free tool?

Airtable's free plan offers limitations on records and storage but is highly flexible for project management, CRM, and general data organization. Learn about Airtable

6. What does Canvanizer offer for free?

Canvanizer is fully free for creating and sharing business model canvases with a simple and intuitive interface. Explore Canvanizer

7. Does ClickUp provide a free plan?

ClickUp's free plan includes task management, project tracking, and document creation with limits on storage and features, and it offers customization and team collaboration options. Learn about ClickUp

8. Are there free resources available from Strategyzer Tools?

Strategyzer offers free downloadable templates and guides for business model and value proposition design. Access Strategyzer Tools

9. What free features does Figma/FigJam offer?

Figma/FigJam provides a free plan with limitations on projects and team members, featuring excellent tools for design mockups, brainstorming, and collaborative whiteboarding. Discover Figma/FigJam

10. Is BoldDesk suitable for startups looking for a free customer service tool?

BoldDesk offers a free plan with limited features, making it suitable for very small startups needing customer support ticketing, live chat, and help desk management. Learn about BoldDesk

References

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).

She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.

For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.

About the Publication

Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.

Mission and Purpose

Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.

Key Features

The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:

Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials

Impact and Growth

Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:

3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
100+ startup tools built
5,000+ pieces of articles and news written

Partnerships

Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.

Recognition

Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.