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Top Open Source Self-Hosted Project Management Tools

\If you’re looking for a self-hosted, open-source project management and task tracking system, there are several excellent alternatives to OpenProject and Redmine, each with different strengths (UI, Agile support, extensibility, ease of deployment, etc.).


βœ… Top Open Source Self-Hosted Project Management Tools

Tool NameBest ForKey TechUI QualityAgile/KanbanNotes
πŸ”§ OpenProjectEnterprise-level PM, Gantt charts, teamsRubyβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†πŸŸ’ GoodGDPR-focused, strong WBS, timelines
πŸ› RedmineBug tracking + project wikiRubyβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†πŸŸ‘ PluginClassic, reliable, plugin-rich
βœ… TaigaAgile teams, Kanban + ScrumPythonβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†πŸŸ’ ExcellentBeautiful UI, lightweight, API-first
🧠 FocalboardTrello-style task boards (from Mattermost)Goβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†πŸŸ’ ExcellentSelf-hostable Trello/Notion hybrid
πŸ“Š WekanSimple Kanban boardsNode.jsβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†πŸŸ’ YesLightweight, Trello clone
πŸ—‚οΈ KanboardDeveloper-oriented KanbanPHPβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†πŸŸ’ YesFocused, minimalist, no DB required
πŸš€ Plane.so (new)Startups & product teamsNext.jsβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…πŸŸ’ ExcellentBeautiful UI, modern, in active dev
πŸ“… TaskcafeTask & project tracking (lightweight)React+Goβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†πŸŸ’ KanbanEarly stage but fast and clean UI
🧩 Phabricator (deprecated)Code + task + wiki suitePHPβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†πŸŸ‘ MinimalPowerful but now discontinued
πŸ“‹ GitLab IssuesGit-native projectsRubyβ˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†πŸŸ’ GoodPart of full GitLab platform

πŸ† Top Recommendations by Use Case

Use CaseRecommended ToolWhy?
πŸ‘¨β€πŸ’» Agile (Scrum, Kanban)Taiga, Plane.soBeautiful UI, sprint tracking, backlog, API-first
πŸ“Š Classic PM with Gantt/WBSOpenProjectStrong project hierarchy, charts, timelines
πŸ› οΈ Developer & bug trackingRedmine, GitLabStrong issue system, version control integration
βœ… Kanban-style task boardsFocalboard, Wekan, KanboardLightweight, easy setup
πŸ§‘β€πŸ€β€πŸ§‘ Team collaboration (Wiki, Chat)Mattermost + Focalboard, OpenProjectBuilt-in wikis, discussion tools

πŸ’» Deployment Notes

ToolDocker SupportDatabase OptionsDeployment Difficulty
OpenProjectβœ… YesPostgreSQL🟠 Moderate
Redmineβœ… YesMySQL/PostgreSQL/SQLite🟑 Easy
Taigaβœ… YesPostgreSQL🟠 Moderate
Focalboardβœ… YesSQLite, PostgreSQL🟒 Easy
Plane.soβœ… YesPostgreSQL🟒 Easy (1-command)

πŸ”₯ Best All-Around Choices (2025)

PriorityToolWhy
πŸ‘οΈ Modern UI + AgilePlane.soFast, sleek, in active development
🧠 Wiki + PM + GanttOpenProjectBest for structured project planning
πŸ› οΈ Developer-CentricRedmineProven, extensible with plugins
πŸ—οΈ Minimal + FastKanboardNo DB needed, very efficient
βœ… Trello AlternativeFocalboardLightweight & open source Notion/Trello

Great question β€” and critical for commercial projects. Here’s a filtered list of project/task management tools that are:

βœ… Self-hosted
βœ… 100% open source
βœ… Permissively licensed (can be modified, rebranded, and resold commercially without fees)


βœ… Best 100% Open Source, Self-Hosted Project Management Tools for Commercial Use (Resell-Friendly)

ToolLicenseCommercial Use AllowedSelf-HostedNotes
RedmineGNU GPL v2βœ… Yes (must retain license terms)βœ… YesCan rebrand/resell if you follow GPL rules
OpenProjectGNU GPL v3βœ… Yes (copyleft applies)βœ… YesEnterprise version exists β€” but community edition is fully open
TaigaAGPL v3βœ… Yes (server code must remain open if redistributed)βœ… YesPowerful Agile tool, AGPL has strict conditions
FocalboardMITβœ… Yes (fully permissive)βœ… YesYou can rebrand, resell β€” no obligation to open source
KanboardMITβœ… Yesβœ… YesVery light, safe to rebrand/sell fully
WekanMITβœ… Yesβœ… YesSafe to use for SaaS or embedded use
TaskcafeMITβœ… Yesβœ… YesLightweight, early stage but 100% open
Plane.soAGPL v3βœ… Yes with AGPL complianceβœ… YesUI is great; AGPL = must share source if hosting for clients

πŸ” Summary: Licensing Types (Commercial Reselling Perspective)

LicenseCommercial UseRebranding AllowedClosed-Source SaaS?
MITβœ… Easyβœ… Yesβœ… Yes
GPLv2/v3βœ… Yes, but must provide sourceβœ… Yes❌ Can’t hide code if distributed
AGPLv3βœ… Yes, but stricterβœ… Yes❌ Must share code if hosted
Apache 2.0βœ… Yesβœ… Yesβœ… Yes (rare in PM tools)

πŸ† Best Picks for Resale as Branded Commercial Product

ScenarioBest ToolWhy
βœ”οΈ Want to fully rebrand & sell closed-source SaaSFocalboard, Kanboard, Taskcafe, WekanMIT license = full freedom
βœ”οΈ Can follow AGPL (share source)Taiga, Plane.soGreat modern UI, but AGPL needs compliance
βœ”οΈ Willing to contribute back (GPL-friendly)Redmine, OpenProjectTrusted, enterprise-grade

⚠️ Tools to Be Careful With (for Resale)

ToolWhy Be Cautious
Jira, ClickUp, AsanaNot open source at all β€” no resale allowed
Trello (free version)Proprietary, even if embeddable
PhabricatorAbandoned + unclear future
OpenProject EnterprisePaid license (but Community Edition is fine)

βœ… Recommendation

If you want to resell a white-labeled project management solution, your safest choices are:

πŸ”Ή MIT-Licensed Tools (Full Commercial Freedom)

  • βœ… Focalboard (Notion-like)
  • βœ… Wekan (Trello-like)
  • βœ… Kanboard (Kanban with plugins)
  • βœ… Taskcafe (lightweight but modern)

You can:

  • Host it for clients (SaaS)
  • Customize UI/UX
  • Sell it under your brand
  • Keep your changes private (no need to open source)

Would you like:

  • A ready-to-use docker-compose.yml for any of these?
  • Help customizing logos/branding?
  • PDF list of all tools with licensing notes for legal review?

Let me know and I’ll generate it.

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