Focalboard vs Worklenz
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
Worklenz
Open-source project and team management platform
| Feature | Focalboard | Worklenz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 26,483 | ★ 3,181 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Trello, Asana, Notion | Asana, Monday.com |
What are Focalboard and Worklenz?
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
Worklenz
Worklenz is an open-source project management platform with task tracking, time logging, and resource scheduling. It helps teams plan projects and monitor workload across members.
- Task and project tracking
- Time logging
- Resource scheduling
- Workload monitoring
Focalboard vs Worklenz: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Focalboard versus AGPL-3.0 for Worklenz. Focalboard is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Worklenz. Focalboard is the more established project (first released 2021), while Worklenz arrived in 2023. Focalboard has the considerably larger community, at 26,483 GitHub stars versus 3,181.
Why pick each one
Choose Focalboard if…
- Clean Trello-like UI
- Lightweight
- Mattermost integration
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Fewer power features
Choose Worklenz if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Focalboard or Worklenz better?
Focalboard is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Worklenz if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Focalboard and Worklenz free and open-source?
Yes. Focalboard is licensed under MIT and Worklenz under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Focalboard and Worklenz with Docker?
Focalboard: yes. Worklenz: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Focalboard or Worklenz?
Focalboard has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Worklenz. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.