OpenProject vs OrangeHRM
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?
OpenProject
Open-source project management and collaboration
VS
OrangeHRM
Human Resource Management (HRM)
| Feature | OpenProject | OrangeHRM |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,794 | ★ 1,108 |
| First released | 2012 | 2025 |
| Replaces | Jira, Asana | — |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenProject if…
- Very feature-complete
- Good for classic project management
- Strong permissions
Choose OrangeHRM if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenProject or OrangeHRM better?
Neither is universally better. OpenProject has the larger community, while OrangeHRM is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenProject and OrangeHRM free and open-source?
Yes. OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and OrangeHRM under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenProject and OrangeHRM with Docker?
OpenProject: yes. OrangeHRM: check the project docs for container support.