{"id":49577,"date":"2025-06-03T02:54:20","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T02:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/?p=49577"},"modified":"2026-02-21T07:29:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T07:29:17","slug":"top-open-source-self-hosted-project-management-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/top-open-source-self-hosted-project-management-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Open Source Self-Hosted Project Management Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Top Open Source Self-Hosted Project Management Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tool Name<\/th>Best For<\/th>Key Tech<\/th>UI Quality<\/th>Agile\/Kanban<\/th>Notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud83d\udd27 OpenProject<\/strong><\/td>Enterprise-level PM, Gantt charts, teams<\/td>Ruby<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Good<\/td>GDPR-focused, strong WBS, timelines<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83d\udc1b Redmine<\/strong><\/td>Bug tracking + project wiki<\/td>Ruby<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/td>\ud83d\udfe1 Plugin<\/td>Classic, reliable, plugin-rich<\/td><\/tr>
\u2705 Taiga<\/strong><\/td>Agile teams, Kanban + Scrum<\/td>Python<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Excellent<\/td>Beautiful UI, lightweight, API-first<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udde0 Focalboard<\/strong><\/td>Trello-style task boards (from Mattermost)<\/td>Go<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Excellent<\/td>Self-hostable Trello\/Notion hybrid<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83d\udcca Wekan<\/strong><\/td>Simple Kanban boards<\/td>Node.js<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Yes<\/td>Lightweight, Trello clone<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83d\uddc2\ufe0f Kanboard<\/strong><\/td>Developer-oriented Kanban<\/td>PHP<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Yes<\/td>Focused, minimalist, no DB required<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83d\ude80 Plane.so<\/strong> (new)<\/td>Startups & product teams<\/td>Next.js<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Excellent<\/td>Beautiful UI, modern, in active dev<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83d\udcc5 Taskcafe<\/strong><\/td>Task & project tracking (lightweight)<\/td>React+Go<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Kanban<\/td>Early stage but fast and clean UI<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udde9 Phabricator<\/strong> (deprecated)<\/em><\/td>Code + task + wiki suite<\/td>PHP<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/td>\ud83d\udfe1 Minimal<\/td>Powerful but now discontinued<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83d\udccb GitLab Issues<\/strong><\/td>Git-native projects<\/td>Ruby<\/td>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Good<\/td>Part of full GitLab platform<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfc6 Top Recommendations by Use Case<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Use Case<\/th>Recommended Tool<\/th>Why?<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udcbb Agile (Scrum, Kanban)<\/td>Taiga<\/strong>, Plane.so<\/strong><\/td>Beautiful UI, sprint tracking, backlog, API-first<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83d\udcca Classic PM with Gantt\/WBS<\/td>OpenProject<\/strong><\/td>Strong project hierarchy, charts, timelines<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83d\udee0\ufe0f Developer & bug tracking<\/td>Redmine<\/strong>, GitLab<\/strong><\/td>Strong issue system, version control integration<\/td><\/tr>
\u2705 Kanban-style task boards<\/td>Focalboard<\/strong>, Wekan<\/strong>, Kanboard<\/strong><\/td>Lightweight, easy setup<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\uddd1\u200d\ud83e\udd1d\u200d\ud83e\uddd1 Team collaboration (Wiki, Chat)<\/td>Mattermost + Focalboard<\/strong>, OpenProject<\/strong><\/td>Built-in wikis, discussion tools<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcbb Deployment Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tool<\/th>Docker Support<\/th>Database Options<\/th>Deployment Difficulty<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
OpenProject<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>PostgreSQL<\/td>\ud83d\udfe0 Moderate<\/td><\/tr>
Redmine<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>MySQL\/PostgreSQL\/SQLite<\/td>\ud83d\udfe1 Easy<\/td><\/tr>
Taiga<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>PostgreSQL<\/td>\ud83d\udfe0 Moderate<\/td><\/tr>
Focalboard<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>SQLite, PostgreSQL<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Easy<\/td><\/tr>
Plane.so<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>PostgreSQL<\/td>\ud83d\udfe2 Easy (1-command)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd25 Best All-Around Choices (2026)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Priority<\/th>Tool<\/th>Why<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud83d\udc41\ufe0f Modern UI + Agile<\/td>Plane.so<\/strong><\/td>Fast, sleek, in active development<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udde0 Wiki + PM + Gantt<\/td>OpenProject<\/strong><\/td>Best for structured project planning<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83d\udee0\ufe0f Developer-Centric<\/td>Redmine<\/strong><\/td>Proven, extensible with plugins<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83c\udfd7\ufe0f Minimal + Fast<\/td>Kanboard<\/strong><\/td>No DB needed, very efficient<\/td><\/tr>
\u2705 Trello Alternative<\/td>Focalboard<\/strong><\/td>Lightweight & open source Notion\/Trello<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Great question \u2014 and critical for commercial projects. Here’s a filtered list of project\/task management tools that are<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Self-hosted<\/strong>
\u2705 100% open source<\/strong>
\u2705 Permissively licensed<\/strong> (can be modified, rebranded, and resold commercially without fees)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Best 100% Open Source, Self-Hosted Project Management Tools for Commercial Use (Resell-Friendly)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tool<\/th>License<\/th>Commercial Use Allowed<\/th>Self-Hosted<\/th>Notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Redmine<\/strong><\/td>GNU GPL v2<\/td>\u2705 Yes (must retain license terms)<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>Can rebrand\/resell if you follow GPL rules<\/td><\/tr>
OpenProject<\/strong><\/td>GNU GPL v3<\/td>\u2705 Yes (copyleft applies)<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>Enterprise version exists \u2014 but community edition is fully open<\/td><\/tr>
Taiga<\/strong><\/td>AGPL v3<\/td>\u2705 Yes (server code must remain open if redistributed)<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>Powerful Agile tool, AGPL has strict conditions<\/td><\/tr>
Focalboard<\/strong><\/td>MIT<\/td>\u2705 Yes (fully permissive)<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>You can rebrand, resell \u2014 no obligation to open source<\/td><\/tr>
Kanboard<\/strong><\/td>MIT<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>Very light, safe to rebrand\/sell fully<\/td><\/tr>
Wekan<\/strong><\/td>MIT<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>Safe to use for SaaS or embedded use<\/td><\/tr>
Taskcafe<\/strong><\/td>MIT<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>Lightweight, early stage but 100% open<\/td><\/tr>
Plane.so<\/strong><\/td>AGPL v3<\/td>\u2705 Yes with AGPL compliance<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>UI is great; AGPL = must share source if hosting for clients<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd10 Summary: Licensing Types (Commercial Reselling Perspective)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
License<\/th>Commercial Use<\/th>Rebranding Allowed<\/th>Closed-Source SaaS?<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
MIT<\/strong><\/td>\u2705 Easy<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr>
GPLv2\/v3<\/strong><\/td>\u2705 Yes, but must provide source<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>\u274c Can’t hide code if distributed<\/td><\/tr>
AGPLv3<\/strong><\/td>\u2705 Yes, but stricter<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>\u274c Must share code if hosted<\/td><\/tr>
Apache 2.0<\/strong><\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>\u2705 Yes<\/td>\u2705 Yes (rare in PM tools)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfc6 Best Picks for Resale as Branded Commercial Product<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Scenario<\/th>Best Tool<\/th>Why<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\u2714\ufe0f Want to fully rebrand & sell closed-source SaaS<\/td>Focalboard<\/strong>, Kanboard<\/strong>, Taskcafe<\/strong>, Wekan<\/strong><\/td>MIT license = full freedom<\/td><\/tr>
\u2714\ufe0f Can follow AGPL (share source)<\/td>Taiga<\/strong>, Plane.so<\/strong><\/td>Great modern UI, but AGPL needs compliance<\/td><\/tr>
\u2714\ufe0f Willing to contribute back (GPL-friendly)<\/td>Redmine<\/strong>, OpenProject<\/strong><\/td>Trusted, enterprise-grade<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

\u26a0\ufe0f Tools to Be Careful With (for Resale)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tool<\/th>Why Be Cautious<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Jira<\/strong>, ClickUp<\/strong>, Asana<\/strong><\/td>Not open source at all \u2014 no resale allowed<\/td><\/tr>
Trello (free version)<\/strong><\/td>Proprietary, even if embeddable<\/td><\/tr>
Phabricator<\/strong><\/td>Abandoned + unclear future<\/td><\/tr>
OpenProject Enterprise<\/strong><\/td>Paid license (but Community Edition is fine)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Recommendation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you want to resell a white-labeled project management solution<\/strong>, your safest choices<\/strong> are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd39 MIT-Licensed Tools (Full Commercial Freedom)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • \u2705 Focalboard<\/strong> (Notion-like)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • \u2705 Wekan<\/strong> (Trello-like)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • \u2705 Kanboard<\/strong> (Kanban with plugins)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • \u2705 Taskcafe<\/strong> (lightweight but modern)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    You can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

      Would you like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

        Let me know and I\u2019ll generate it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        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,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49577"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58999,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49577\/revisions\/58999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}