SHSelfHostIndex

Kanboard vs Vikunja

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
Kanboard Minimalist kanban project management VS Vikunja Open-source to-do and project management app
FeatureKanboardVikunja
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score93 · Excellent90 · Excellent
CategoryProject Management & TasksProject Management & Tasks
LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
LanguagePHPGo
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 9,881★ 5,494
First released20142019
ReplacesTrelloTodoist, Trello, Asana

What are Kanboard and Vikunja?

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

Read the full Kanboard guide →

Vikunja

Vikunja is an open-source to-do app and project management tool with lists, kanban, gantt, and calendar views. It targets individuals and teams wanting flexible task management. It is deployed via Docker or a single binary.

  • List, kanban, gantt and calendar views
  • Reminders and recurring tasks
  • REST API
  • Lightweight single binary

Read the full Vikunja guide →

Kanboard vs Vikunja: key differences

Kanboard is written in PHP, while Vikunja is built with Go. Licensing differs — MIT for Kanboard versus AGPL-3.0 for Vikunja. Kanboard is the more established project (first released 2014), while Vikunja arrived in 2019.

Why pick each one

Choose Kanboard if…

  • Very lightweight
  • Easy to learn
  • Stable

Watch out for

  • Minimal feature set
  • Dated look
Kanboard details

Choose Vikunja if…

  • Flexible task views
  • Lightweight
  • Good API

Watch out for

  • Smaller ecosystem
  • Fewer integrations than rivals
Vikunja details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kanboard or Vikunja 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 Vikunja free and open-source?

Yes. Kanboard is licensed under MIT and Vikunja under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kanboard and Vikunja with Docker?

Kanboard: yes. Vikunja: yes.

Related comparisons