Focalboard vs Taiga
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
Taiga
Agile project management for cross-functional teams
| Feature | Focalboard | Taiga |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 77 · Good |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 26,483 | ★ 851 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Trello, Asana, Notion | Jira, Trello |
What are Focalboard and Taiga?
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
Taiga
Taiga is an open-source project management platform for agile teams supporting Scrum and Kanban methodologies. It targets development teams practicing agile. It is deployed via Docker.
- Scrum and Kanban support
- Backlog and sprint planning
- Issue tracking and wiki
- Powerful REST API
Focalboard vs Taiga: key differences
Focalboard is written in TypeScript, while Taiga is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Focalboard versus MPL-2.0 for Taiga. Focalboard is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Taiga. Taiga 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 851.
Why pick each one
Choose Focalboard if…
- Clean Trello-like UI
- Lightweight
- Mattermost integration
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Fewer power features
Choose Taiga if…
- Strong agile features
- Mature platform
- Good API
Watch out for
- Multi-container setup
- Heavier to operate
Frequently asked questions
Is Focalboard or Taiga better?
Focalboard is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Taiga if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Focalboard and Taiga free and open-source?
Yes. Focalboard is licensed under MIT and Taiga under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Focalboard and Taiga with Docker?
Focalboard: yes. Taiga: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Focalboard or Taiga?
Focalboard has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Taiga. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.