TaskBoard 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.
| Feature | TaskBoard | Taskcafe |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 20 · At risk | 21 · At risk |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,401 | ★ 5,214 |
| First released | 2015 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Trello, Kanboard | Trello, Asana |
What are TaskBoard and Taskcafe?
TaskBoard
TaskBoard is a simple self-hosted kanban application written in PHP with a SQLite database. It provides boards with customizable columns, cards, comments, and attachments, and requires minimal setup on a basic web server.
- Simple kanban boards
- Drag-and-drop cards
- Minimal dependencies
- Easy installation
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
TaskBoard vs Taskcafe: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. TaskBoard is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Taskcafe. TaskBoard is the more established project (first released 2015), while Taskcafe arrived in 2020. Taskcafe has the considerably larger community, at 5,214 GitHub stars versus 1,401. Taskcafe lists first-class Docker deployment; TaskBoard does not.
Why pick each one
Choose TaskBoard if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
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 TaskBoard or Taskcafe better?
Neither is universally better. Taskcafe has the larger community, while TaskBoard is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are TaskBoard and Taskcafe free and open-source?
Yes. TaskBoard is licensed under MIT and Taskcafe under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run TaskBoard and Taskcafe with Docker?
TaskBoard: check the project docs for container support. Taskcafe: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, TaskBoard or Taskcafe?
TaskBoard has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Taskcafe. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.