OpenProject vs Worklenz
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
Worklenz
Open-source project and team management platform
| Feature | OpenProject | Worklenz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 88 · 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 | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,196 | ★ 3,181 |
| First released | 2012 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Jira, Asana | Asana, Monday.com |
What are OpenProject and Worklenz?
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
Worklenz
Worklenz is an open-source project management platform with task tracking, time logging, and resource scheduling. It helps teams plan projects and monitor workload across members.
- Task and project tracking
- Time logging
- Resource scheduling
- Workload monitoring
OpenProject vs Worklenz: key differences
OpenProject is written in Ruby, while Worklenz is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for OpenProject versus AGPL-3.0 for Worklenz. Worklenz is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for OpenProject. OpenProject is the more established project (first released 2012), while Worklenz arrived in 2023. OpenProject has the considerably larger community, at 16,196 GitHub stars versus 3,181.
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 Worklenz if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenProject or Worklenz better?
Neither is universally better. OpenProject has the larger community, while Worklenz is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenProject and Worklenz free and open-source?
Yes. OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Worklenz under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenProject and Worklenz with Docker?
OpenProject: yes. Worklenz: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenProject or Worklenz?
Worklenz has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for OpenProject. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.