Kanboard vs TaskBoard
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
TaskBoard
Simple self-hosted kanban board in PHP with SQLite
| Feature | Kanboard | TaskBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 20 · At risk |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,881 | ★ 1,401 |
| First released | 2014 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Trello | Trello, Kanboard |
What are Kanboard and TaskBoard?
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
TaskBoard
TaskBoard is a simple self-hosted kanban application written in PHP with a SQLite database. It provides boards with customizable columns, cards, comments, and attachments, and requires minimal setup on a basic web server.
- Simple kanban boards
- Drag-and-drop cards
- Minimal dependencies
- Easy installation
Kanboard vs TaskBoard: key differences
Kanboard is written in PHP, while TaskBoard is built with TypeScript. TaskBoard is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Kanboard. Kanboard has the considerably larger community, at 9,881 GitHub stars versus 1,401. Kanboard lists first-class Docker deployment; TaskBoard does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Kanboard if…
- Very lightweight
- Easy to learn
- Stable
Watch out for
- Minimal feature set
- Dated look
Choose TaskBoard if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Kanboard or TaskBoard 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 TaskBoard free and open-source?
Yes. Kanboard is licensed under MIT and TaskBoard under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kanboard and TaskBoard with Docker?
Kanboard: yes. TaskBoard: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Kanboard or TaskBoard?
TaskBoard 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.