Focalboard vs SCM Manager

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?
FeatureFocalboardSCM Manager
CategoryProject Management & TasksProject Management & Tasks
LicenseMITBSD-3-Clause
LanguageTypeScriptJava
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, kubernetes
GitHub stars★ 26,376★ 176
First released20212020
ReplacesTrello, Asana, Notion

Why pick each one

Choose Focalboard if…

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

Choose SCM Manager if…

  • Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Written in Java
SCM Manager details

Frequently asked questions

Is Focalboard or SCM Manager better?

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

Are Focalboard and SCM Manager free and open-source?

Yes. Focalboard is licensed under MIT and SCM Manager under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Focalboard and SCM Manager with Docker?

Focalboard: yes. SCM Manager: yes.

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