Kanboard 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.
Kanboard
Minimalist kanban project management
VS
Taiga
Agile project management for cross-functional teams
| Feature | Kanboard | Taiga |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,881 | ★ 851 |
| First released | 2014 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Trello | Jira, Trello |
What are Kanboard and Taiga?
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
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
Kanboard vs Taiga: key differences
Kanboard is written in PHP, while Taiga is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Kanboard versus MPL-2.0 for Taiga. Kanboard is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Taiga. Kanboard has the considerably larger community, at 9,881 GitHub stars versus 851.
Why pick each one
Choose Kanboard if…
- Very lightweight
- Easy to learn
- Stable
Watch out for
- Minimal feature set
- Dated look
Choose Taiga if…
- Strong agile features
- Mature platform
- Good API
Watch out for
- Multi-container setup
- Heavier to operate
Frequently asked questions
Is Kanboard or Taiga better?
Kanboard 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 Kanboard and Taiga free and open-source?
Yes. Kanboard is licensed under MIT and Taiga under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kanboard and Taiga with Docker?
Kanboard: yes. Taiga: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kanboard or Taiga?
Kanboard has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Taiga. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.