Focalboard vs OpenProject

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureFocalboardOpenProject
CategoryProject Management & TasksProject Management & Tasks
LicenseMITGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptRuby
Setup difficultyEasyHard
Min. RAM512 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 26,376★ 15,794
First released20212012
ReplacesTrello, Asana, NotionJira, Asana

Why pick each one

Choose Focalboard if…

  • Clean Trello-like UI
  • Lightweight
  • Mattermost integration
Focalboard details

Choose OpenProject if…

  • Very feature-complete
  • Good for classic project management
  • Strong permissions
OpenProject details

Frequently asked questions

Is Focalboard or OpenProject better?

Focalboard is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider OpenProject if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Focalboard and OpenProject free and open-source?

Yes. Focalboard is licensed under MIT and OpenProject under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Focalboard and OpenProject with Docker?

Focalboard: yes. OpenProject: yes.

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