Phabricator vs Redmine
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Redmine
Flexible project management and issue tracking
| Feature | Phabricator | Redmine |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 31 · At risk | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,292 | ★ 6,039 |
| First released | 2011 | 2006 |
| Replaces | GitHub, Jira | Jira |
What are Phabricator and Redmine?
Phabricator
Phabricator is a collection of open-source tools for code review, repository hosting, bug tracking, and project management. Although original development has ended, the community fork Phorge continues it.
- Differential code review
- Repository hosting
- Maniphest task tracking
- Audit and herald rules
Redmine
Redmine is a mature open-source project management web application with issue tracking, Gantt charts, wikis, and repository integration. Its plugin ecosystem makes it highly customizable.
- Issue tracking with workflows
- Gantt charts and calendars
- Per-project wikis
- Large plugin library
Phabricator vs Redmine: key differences
Phabricator is written in PHP, while Redmine is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Phabricator versus GPL-2.0 for Redmine. Redmine is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Phabricator. Redmine is the more established project (first released 2006), while Phabricator arrived in 2011. Phabricator has the considerably larger community, at 12,292 GitHub stars versus 6,039. Redmine lists first-class Docker deployment; Phabricator does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Phabricator if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Mature project with 12.3k GitHub stars
- Written in PHP
Choose Redmine if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6k GitHub stars
- Written in Ruby
Frequently asked questions
Is Phabricator or Redmine better?
Neither is universally better. Phabricator has the larger community, while Redmine is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Phabricator and Redmine free and open-source?
Yes. Phabricator is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Redmine under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Phabricator and Redmine with Docker?
Phabricator: check the project docs for container support. Redmine: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Phabricator or Redmine?
Redmine has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Phabricator. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.