OpenProject vs Plane
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
OpenProject
Open-source project management and collaboration
VS
Plane
Open-source project and issue tracking tool
| Feature | OpenProject | Plane |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,196 | ★ 59,805 |
| First released | 2012 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Jira, Asana | Jira, Linear, Asana |
What are OpenProject and Plane?
OpenProject
OpenProject is a comprehensive open-source project management application with gantt charts, agile boards, and time tracking. It targets organizations managing complex projects. It is deployed via Docker or packages.
- Gantt charts and roadmaps
- Agile boards and backlogs
- Time and cost tracking
- Wiki and document management
Plane
Plane is an open-source project management tool for tracking issues, sprints, and product roadmaps with multiple views. It targets software and product teams. It is deployed via Docker.
- Issues, cycles and modules
- List, kanban and gantt views
- Roadmaps and pages
- Modern fast UI
OpenProject vs Plane: key differences
OpenProject is written in Ruby, while Plane is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for OpenProject versus AGPL-3.0 for Plane. OpenProject is the more established project (first released 2012), while Plane arrived in 2023. Plane has the considerably larger community, at 59,805 GitHub stars versus 16,196.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenProject if…
- Very feature-complete
- Good for classic project management
- Strong permissions
Watch out for
- Resource heavy
- Premium features gated
Choose Plane if…
- Polished modern interface
- Good for product teams
- Active development
Watch out for
- Resource heavy
- Some features still maturing
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenProject or Plane better?
Plane is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenProject if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OpenProject and Plane free and open-source?
Yes. OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Plane under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenProject and Plane with Docker?
OpenProject: yes. Plane: yes.