Leantime vs Worklenz
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
Worklenz
Open-source project and team management platform
| Feature | Leantime | Worklenz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,645 | ★ 3,181 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Asana, Trello, Notion | Asana, Monday.com |
What are Leantime and Worklenz?
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
Worklenz
Worklenz is an open-source project management platform with task tracking, time logging, and resource scheduling. It helps teams plan projects and monitor workload across members.
- Task and project tracking
- Time logging
- Resource scheduling
- Workload monitoring
Leantime vs Worklenz: key differences
Leantime is written in PHP, while Worklenz is built with TypeScript. Leantime is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Worklenz. Leantime is the more established project (first released 2019), while Worklenz arrived in 2023. Leantime has the considerably larger community, at 11,645 GitHub stars versus 3,181.
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 Worklenz if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Leantime or Worklenz better?
Neither is universally better. Leantime has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Leantime and Worklenz free and open-source?
Yes. Leantime is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Worklenz under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Leantime and Worklenz with Docker?
Leantime: yes. Worklenz: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Leantime or Worklenz?
Leantime has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Worklenz. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.