Kanboard vs Kanri
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Kanboard
Minimalist kanban project management
VS
Kanri
Offline-first kanban board desktop app built with Tauri
| Feature | Kanboard | Kanri |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 77 · Good |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,881 | ★ 2,035 |
| First released | 2014 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Trello | Trello |
What are Kanboard and Kanri?
Kanboard
Kanboard is a minimalist, free kanban project management tool focused on simplicity and a clear visual workflow. It targets individuals and small teams wanting a no-frills board. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Simple kanban boards
- WIP limits and automation
- Plugin ecosystem
- Lightweight PHP app
Kanri
Kanri is an offline-first kanban board desktop application built with Tauri and Vue. Boards are stored locally on your machine and support drag-and-drop cards, custom themes, and import/export, with no server or account required.
- Offline kanban boards
- Drag-and-drop cards
- Cross-platform desktop app
- Local data storage
Kanboard vs Kanri: key differences
Kanboard is written in PHP, while Kanri is built with Vue. Kanri is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Kanboard. Kanboard is the more established project (first released 2014), while Kanri arrived in 2022. Kanboard has the considerably larger community, at 9,881 GitHub stars versus 2,035.
Why pick each one
Choose Kanboard if…
- Very lightweight
- Easy to learn
- Stable
Watch out for
- Minimal feature set
- Dated look
Choose Kanri if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Kanboard or Kanri better?
Neither is universally better. Kanboard has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kanboard and Kanri free and open-source?
Yes. Kanboard is licensed under MIT and Kanri under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kanboard and Kanri with Docker?
Kanboard: yes. Kanri: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kanboard or Kanri?
Kanri has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Kanboard. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.