OpenProject vs osem
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
osem
Event management tailored to free Software conferences
| Feature | OpenProject | osem |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Ruby | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,794 | ★ 924 |
| First released | 2012 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Jira, Asana | — |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenProject if…
- Very feature-complete
- Good for classic project management
- Strong permissions
Choose osem if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Ruby
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenProject or osem better?
Neither is universally better. OpenProject has the larger community, while osem is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenProject and osem free and open-source?
Yes. OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and osem under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenProject and osem with Docker?
OpenProject: yes. osem: yes.