Kan vs Planka
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Kan
Open-source, self-hosted kanban board and Trello alternative
VS
Planka
Realtime kanban board for workgroups
| Feature | Kan | Planka |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,684 | ★ 12,575 |
| First released | 2024 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Trello | Trello |
What are Kan and Planka?
Kan
Kan is an open-source, self-hosted kanban board application positioned as a Trello alternative. Built with TypeScript, it offers boards, lists, labels, member collaboration, and public board sharing in a modern web interface.
- Trello-style kanban boards
- Labels and members
- Public board sharing
- Modern responsive UI
Planka
Planka is an open-source kanban board for workgroups with real-time updates, labels, and a clean Trello-like interface. It targets small teams wanting fast, simple boards. It is deployed via Docker.
- Real-time collaborative boards
- Cards, labels and due dates
- Markdown descriptions
- Clean Trello-like UI
Kan vs Planka: key differences
Kan is written in TypeScript, while Planka is built with JavaScript. Planka is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Kan. Planka is the more established project (first released 2019), while Kan arrived in 2024. Planka has the considerably larger community, at 12,575 GitHub stars versus 5,684.
Why pick each one
Choose Kan if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.7k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Planka if…
- Fast real-time updates
- Familiar interface
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Fewer features than rivals
- Requires Postgres
Frequently asked questions
Is Kan or Planka better?
Planka is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Kan if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Kan and Planka free and open-source?
Yes. Kan is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Planka under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kan and Planka with Docker?
Kan: yes. Planka: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kan or Planka?
Planka has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Kan. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.