Focalboard vs Taskcafe
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
Taskcafe
Open-source project management with kanban boards
| Feature | Focalboard | Taskcafe |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 21 · At risk |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 26,483 | ★ 5,214 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Trello, Asana, Notion | Trello, Asana |
What are Focalboard and Taskcafe?
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
Taskcafe
Taskcafe is an open-source project management tool inspired by Trello and Asana. It offers kanban boards, task assignment, due dates, and a clean interface.
- Kanban project boards
- Task assignment and labels
- Due dates and checklists
- GraphQL API
Focalboard vs Taskcafe: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Taskcafe is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Focalboard. Focalboard has the considerably larger community, at 26,483 GitHub stars versus 5,214.
Why pick each one
Choose Focalboard if…
- Clean Trello-like UI
- Lightweight
- Mattermost integration
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Fewer power features
Choose Taskcafe if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Focalboard or Taskcafe better?
Focalboard is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Taskcafe if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Focalboard and Taskcafe free and open-source?
Yes. Focalboard is licensed under MIT and Taskcafe under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Focalboard and Taskcafe with Docker?
Focalboard: yes. Taskcafe: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Focalboard or Taskcafe?
Taskcafe has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Focalboard. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.