Focalboard vs Restyaboard
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Focalboard
Open-source project and task management boards
VS
Restyaboard
Open-source kanban board with offline sync
| Feature | Focalboard | Restyaboard |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 17 · At risk |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | OSL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 26,483 | ★ 2,089 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Trello, Asana, Notion | Trello |
What are Focalboard and Restyaboard?
Focalboard
Focalboard is an open-source project management tool with kanban boards, tables, and calendar views for organizing work. It targets teams wanting a self-hosted Trello-style board. It is deployed via Docker or as part of Mattermost.
- Kanban, table and calendar views
- Personal and team boards
- Integrates with Mattermost
- Templates for common workflows
Restyaboard
Restyaboard is an open-source kanban board similar to Trello, featuring offline sync, plugins, and import tools. It targets teams wanting a self-hosted, extensible board. It is deployed via Docker.
- Trello-like kanban boards
- Offline sync support
- Plugin and theme system
- Import from Trello
Focalboard vs Restyaboard: key differences
Focalboard is written in TypeScript, while Restyaboard is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Focalboard versus OSL-3.0 for Restyaboard. Restyaboard is the more established project (first released 2014), while Focalboard arrived in 2021. Focalboard has the considerably larger community, at 26,483 GitHub stars versus 2,089.
Why pick each one
Choose Focalboard if…
- Clean Trello-like UI
- Lightweight
- Mattermost integration
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Fewer power features
Choose Restyaboard if…
- Trello-compatible imports
- Extensible
- Offline support
Watch out for
- Slower development
- Dated interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Focalboard or Restyaboard better?
Focalboard is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Restyaboard if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Focalboard and Restyaboard free and open-source?
Yes. Focalboard is licensed under MIT and Restyaboard under OSL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Focalboard and Restyaboard with Docker?
Focalboard: yes. Restyaboard: yes.