Open-source project management software gives teams issue tracking, boards, Gantt charts, roadmaps and time tracking without per-seat SaaS pricing, and with the option to keep project data on their own servers. It suits engineering teams, agencies and IT departments that want to customise workflows, integrate with their own tooling or meet data-residency requirements.
This guide compares seven actively developed projects, each verified against its repository licence on 2026-11-07. They range from full portfolio and Gantt suites (OpenProject, Redmine) to lightweight kanban and task tools (WeKan, Kanboard, Vikunja) and newer product-focused trackers (Plane, Leantime). Several are copyleft (GPL or AGPL), which matters if you plan to modify and redistribute them.
Tools, licences and pricing checked against vendor and repository pages on November 7, 2026.
1. Plane
AGPL-3.0Best for: Product and engineering teams wanting a modern Jira or Linear alternative · Free, open source (self-hosted); paid cloud plans available, see vendor pricing
Plane is an open-source project management tool for tracking issues, running cycles and managing product roadmaps. It is positioned as an alternative to Jira and Linear, with a self-hostable community edition and a hosted cloud version.
Strengths
- + Modern issue, cycle and roadmap workflow
- + Self-host or use hosted cloud
- + Active development
Trade-offs
- − AGPL licence has network-copyleft obligations
- − Some advanced features are in paid editions
2. OpenProject
GPL-3.0Best for: Organisations needing Gantt charts, portfolios and classic plus agile planning · Free, open source (self-hosted Community edition); paid Enterprise and cloud plans available, see vendor pricing
OpenProject is web-based open-source project management software for teams that need transparency, flexibility and data sovereignty. It covers projects, portfolios, tasks, bugs, agile workflows and roadmaps.
Strengths
- + Broad classic and agile feature set
- + Strong data-sovereignty and self-hosting story
- + Mature, long-running project
Trade-offs
- − Some enterprise features are paid
- − Heavier to run than simple kanban tools
3. Redmine
GPL-2.0Best for: Teams wanting a proven, plugin-extensible issue tracker · Free, open source (self-hosted)
Redmine is a self-hostable project management web application built on Ruby on Rails. It offers multiple projects, role-based access control, an issue tracker, Gantt charts and calendars, time tracking, custom fields and SCM integration.
Strengths
- + Mature with a large plugin ecosystem
- + Flexible roles, workflows and custom fields
- + Runs on common databases
Trade-offs
- − Dated default interface
- − Requires a Ruby on Rails deployment
4. Leantime
AGPL-3.0Best for: Small teams that want strategy, goals and tasks in one lightweight tool · Free, open source (self-hosted); hosted plans available, see vendor pricing
Leantime is an open-source project management system aimed at non-project managers. It combines strategy, planning and execution with task boards, goals and timesheets in one simple interface.
Strengths
- + Combines goals and strategy with task management
- + Simple interface for non-specialists
- + Self-hostable PHP app
Trade-offs
- − AGPL licence obligations
- − Smaller ecosystem than Redmine or OpenProject
5. WeKan
MITBest for: Teams wanting a permissively licensed Trello-style kanban board · Free, open source (self-hosted)
WeKan is a free and open-source collaborative kanban board application released under the MIT licence. It supports boards, lists, cards and team collaboration, and can be installed on your own server.
Strengths
- + Permissive MIT licence
- + Familiar Trello-like boards
- + Multiple install methods
Trade-offs
- − Kanban only, no Gantt or portfolio planning
6. Vikunja
AGPL-3.0Best for: Individuals and small teams wanting a simple task manager they own · Free, open source (self-hosted); hosted version available, see vendor pricing
Vikunja is an open-source, self-hostable task manager with lists, kanban and Gantt style views. The maintainers also offer a hosted version for teams that do not want to run it themselves.
Strengths
- + Lightweight Go application
- + Multiple views for tasks
- + Optional hosted version
Trade-offs
- − Lighter on enterprise project features
- − AGPL licence obligations
7. Kanboard
MITBest for: Teams wanting a minimal, low-resource kanban tracker · Free, open source (self-hosted)
Kanboard is project management software that focuses on the Kanban methodology. It is a minimalist self-hosted board with a plugin system and a straightforward PHP stack.
Strengths
- + Very small footprint
- + MIT licence
- + Plugin system
Trade-offs
- − The project states it is in maintenance mode, so expect few new features
