OpenProject vs Taskcafe
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
Taskcafe
Open-source project management with kanban boards
| Feature | OpenProject | Taskcafe |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 21 · At risk |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Ruby | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,189 | ★ 5,214 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Jira, Asana | Trello, Asana |
What are OpenProject and Taskcafe?
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
Taskcafe
Taskcafe is an open-source project management tool inspired by Trello and Asana. It offers kanban boards, task assignment, due dates, and a clean interface.
- Kanban project boards
- Task assignment and labels
- Due dates and checklists
- GraphQL API
OpenProject vs Taskcafe: key differences
OpenProject is written in Ruby, while Taskcafe is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for OpenProject versus MIT for Taskcafe. Taskcafe is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for OpenProject. OpenProject is the more established project (first released 2012), while Taskcafe arrived in 2020. OpenProject has the considerably larger community, at 16,189 GitHub stars versus 5,214.
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 Taskcafe if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenProject or Taskcafe better?
Neither is universally better. OpenProject has the larger community, while Taskcafe is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenProject and Taskcafe free and open-source?
Yes. OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Taskcafe under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenProject and Taskcafe with Docker?
OpenProject: yes. Taskcafe: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenProject or Taskcafe?
Taskcafe has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for OpenProject. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.