OpenProject vs Vikunja
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
Vikunja
Open-source to-do and project management app
| Feature | OpenProject | Vikunja |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,189 | ★ 5,482 |
| First released | 2012 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Jira, Asana | Todoist, Trello, Asana |
What are OpenProject and Vikunja?
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
Vikunja
Vikunja is an open-source to-do app and project management tool with lists, kanban, gantt, and calendar views. It targets individuals and teams wanting flexible task management. It is deployed via Docker or a single binary.
- List, kanban, gantt and calendar views
- Reminders and recurring tasks
- REST API
- Lightweight single binary
OpenProject vs Vikunja: key differences
OpenProject is written in Ruby, while Vikunja is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for OpenProject versus AGPL-3.0 for Vikunja. Vikunja 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 Vikunja arrived in 2019. OpenProject has the considerably larger community, at 16,189 GitHub stars versus 5,482.
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 Vikunja if…
- Flexible task views
- Lightweight
- Good API
Watch out for
- Smaller ecosystem
- Fewer integrations than rivals
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenProject or Vikunja better?
Neither is universally better. OpenProject has the larger community, while Vikunja is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenProject and Vikunja free and open-source?
Yes. OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Vikunja under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenProject and Vikunja with Docker?
OpenProject: yes. Vikunja: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenProject or Vikunja?
Vikunja 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.