For small studios
Project management for a small design studio, shared through your own GitHub or server.
nokko is a native Mac app for studios and agencies of two to about eight people. Projects, hours and invoices are Markdown files, and the team shares them through its own private GitHub repository or its own SFTP server. We are a two-person web agency in Kaunas and run our client work on it.
A studio can share over SFTP to a server it already has.
If you would rather not use GitHub, point nokko at your own server over SFTP: a VPS, a NAS or a storage box. The same keep-both rule applies to simultaneous edits, and deleted files wait in a trash on the server for 30 days. With sharing switched off, nokko opens no network connections at all.
Tasks are assigned to people, and logged hours carry the name of who logged them.
Each teammate is a small Markdown file in a People folder, with a name, a colour and initials. Assign a task to a person and filter any view by assignee. Once a Mac has been told who is using it, the timer adds that person's name to every session it logs.
People are labels, not user accounts. nokko has no roles or permissions, so anyone with access to the repository can edit everything in it.
Client projects on one timeline, a board per project, and invoices per client.
The Timeline shows every client project as a bar, with milestones and a today line, from Week to Year zoom. Each project has its own board, list and calendar. The Time view sums the month by client and project, the Clients view shows the unbilled hours, and an invoice is drafted from them with your rates, VAT and numbering.
Away from the desk, the iPhone app shows Today, each project's progress and a timer on the Lock Screen, on a full copy of the same files.
Studios that need roles, client logins or Windows machines should choose a cloud tool.
nokko does not have an admin console, roles, per-project permissions or guest access for clients. It has no sprints, story points or approval flows. Everyone who edits needs a Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 26, and there is no Windows, Android, iPad or web version.
If your team is past about eight people working in the same projects, or half of it is on Windows, a cloud project tool will fit you better. We would rather say so here than have you find out in week two. We are planning a team version for bigger teams, and you can request early access.
The two ways to share a studio's workspace.
Both are optional and off by default. Neither one sends your files through a server of ours, because we do not have one.
| Capability | Your GitHub repository | Your SFTP server |
|---|---|---|
| Where the files live | A private repository on your account | A folder on your own server |
| What each person needs | A free GitHub account | Access to the server |
| Inviting a teammate | By GitHub username, from inside nokko | Give them access to the server |
| Two people edit at once | Both versions kept | Both versions kept |
| A file is deleted | Recoverable from the repository history | Kept in a server-side trash for 30 days |
| A per-person Activity feed | Every change is a commit in that person's name | No |
| Works offline, syncs later | Yes | Yes |
Swipe sideways for the other columns.
The things people ask.
What is a good project management tool for a small design studio?
Can a small agency share nokko projects?
Do we need GitHub to use nokko as a team?
Does every person in the studio need to pay?
Does nokko have roles, permissions or client access?
Free to read, on your Mac and your iPhone.
Download it, open a folder, and read everything your studio has planned. Subscribe when you are ready to edit; the first 14 days are free, and one subscription covers both.