Focalboard vs Pollaris
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?
Focalboard
Open-source project and task management boards
VS
Pollaris
Polling tool to plan, organise and make decisions quickly
| Feature | Focalboard | Pollaris |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0-only |
| Language | TypeScript | |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 26,376 | — |
| First released | 2021 | 2025 |
| Replaces | Trello, Asana, Notion | Doodle, OpenSondage |
Why pick each one
Choose Pollaris if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-only license
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Focalboard or Pollaris better?
Focalboard is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pollaris if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Focalboard and Pollaris free and open-source?
Yes. Focalboard is licensed under MIT and Pollaris under GPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Focalboard and Pollaris with Docker?
Focalboard: yes. Pollaris: check the project docs for container support.