Leantime vs Wekan
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Leantime
Goal-oriented project management for teams
VS
Wekan
Open-source kanban board for collaboration
| Feature | Leantime | Wekan |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, snap |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,645 | ★ 21,094 |
| First released | 2019 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Asana, Trello, Notion | Trello |
What are Leantime and Wekan?
Leantime
Leantime is an open-source project management system designed around goals, strategy, and accessibility for non-technical teams. It targets small businesses and creatives. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Goals and strategy boards
- Idea management and research
- Kanban and gantt views
- Designed for non-technical users
Wekan
Wekan is an open-source kanban board application for collaborative task and project tracking with cards, swimlanes, and rules. It targets teams wanting a self-hosted kanban tool. It is deployed via Docker or Snap.
- Kanban boards with swimlanes
- Card automation rules
- Time tracking and checklists
- LDAP and OAuth support
Leantime vs Wekan: key differences
Leantime is written in PHP, while Wekan is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Leantime versus MIT for Wekan. Leantime is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Wekan. Wekan is the more established project (first released 2015), while Leantime arrived in 2019.
Why pick each one
Choose Leantime if…
- Goal-focused approach
- Accessible to non-techies
- Active development
Watch out for
- Less known
- Some features still evolving
Choose Wekan if…
- Mature kanban tool
- Self-hostable
- Good permissions
Watch out for
- Can feel heavy
- UI is dated
Frequently asked questions
Is Leantime or Wekan better?
Neither is universally better. Wekan has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Leantime and Wekan free and open-source?
Yes. Leantime is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Wekan under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Leantime and Wekan with Docker?
Leantime: yes. Wekan: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Leantime or Wekan?
Leantime has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Wekan. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.