Migration guide
Migrate from Zoho Projects to Planoda
Zoho Projects is an affordable project tool that shines inside the Zoho suite, but its software-tracking and AI story stay light. This guide moves your projects and task lists into Planoda's keyboard-first tracker — cycles, estimates, and code links — with AI triage on every surface.
Updated
Migration in short
- Migrating from Zoho Projects to Planoda is a 7-step path: export, map, import, verify, then cut over.
- Start by exporting from Zoho Projects — Export from Zoho Projects, then map every field to its Planoda equivalent.
- 9 Zoho Projects concepts map onto Planoda fields (issues, workflow states, cycles, estimates, labels, and more), previewed before anything is written.
- Run both tools in parallel for a short overlap, reconcile the counts, then make Planoda the system of record — no work is left behind.
Step by step
How to move from Zoho Projects
Export from Zoho Projects
Export each project's tasks to CSV or XLS (project → Tasks → Export), which pulls tasks with their task list, status, assignees, due dates, and priorities. The Zoho Projects API is the richer path for milestones, dependencies, and many projects at once.
Map projects, task lists, and statuses
A Zoho project maps to a Planoda team (one per project or portal), task lists become board columns or workflow states, and tasks become issues. Zoho's custom statuses map onto Planoda workflow states.
Translate milestones, tags, and Blueprints
Milestones map to cycles for time-boxed work or to projects/initiatives for larger deliverables, tags map to labels, and assignees match by email. Blueprint and workflow-rule automations are rebuilt as Planoda no-code automations.
Import into Planoda
Drop your cleaned export into the CSV importer, or push records through the public REST API for large or incremental loads. The importer previews the mapping and flags any rows that need attention before anything is written.
Verify the imported data
Spot-check a sample of issues against the source: titles, assignees, states, priorities, comments, and links. Run a count reconciliation so the totals match before you trust the new workspace.
Run both tools in parallel
Keep the old tool read-only for a short overlap window while your team learns the new workflows. Route all new work into Planoda so nothing is created in two places.
Cut over and archive the source
Once the team is comfortable and open work is in sync, freeze the source tool, export a final backup, and make Planoda the system of record. Update bookmarks, integrations, and team docs.
Field mapping
What maps to what
How Zoho Projects concepts map onto Planoda.
| Zoho Projects | Planoda |
|---|---|
| Portal | Workspace |
| Project | Team / Project |
| Task list | Board column / Workflow state |
| Task | Issue |
| Subtask | Sub-issue |
| Status | Workflow state |
| Milestone | Cycle / Project |
| Priority | Priority |
| Tag | Label |
Pro tips
Make the move smoother
Use the API export when milestones, dependencies, or multiple projects are in play; CSV is fine for a single task-heavy project.
Map Zoho's custom statuses to workflow states deliberately — migration is a good moment to trim a sprawling set.
Invite teammates by their Zoho email first so assignees resolve to real members on the first pass.
FAQ
Migrating from Zoho Projects — FAQ
A note from the founder
“I'm building Planoda in the open and putting my name on it. No borrowed logos, no invented stats — just the work, shipped and auditable. If it doesn't earn your trust, tell me.”
Dmitrii Selikhov is the founder of Planoda and a lead full-stack engineer with 15+ years building developer tools and leading teams as a technical lead, software architect, and CTO.
Still deciding?
Make the switch
Leave Zoho Projects behind this weekend.
Bring your Zoho Projects export — we'll match every workflow, field by field.