TaskBoard 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.
Vikunja
Open-source to-do and project management app
| Feature | TaskBoard | Vikunja |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 20 · At risk | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,401 | ★ 5,494 |
| First released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Trello, Kanboard | Todoist, Trello, Asana |
What are TaskBoard and Vikunja?
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
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
TaskBoard vs Vikunja: key differences
TaskBoard is written in TypeScript, while Vikunja is built with Go. Licensing differs — MIT for TaskBoard versus AGPL-3.0 for Vikunja. TaskBoard is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Vikunja. TaskBoard is the more established project (first released 2015), while Vikunja arrived in 2019. Vikunja has the considerably larger community, at 5,494 GitHub stars versus 1,401. Vikunja 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 Vikunja if…
- Flexible task views
- Lightweight
- Good API
Watch out for
- Smaller ecosystem
- Fewer integrations than rivals
Frequently asked questions
Is TaskBoard or Vikunja better?
Neither is universally better. Vikunja has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are TaskBoard and Vikunja free and open-source?
Yes. TaskBoard is licensed under MIT and Vikunja under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run TaskBoard and Vikunja with Docker?
TaskBoard: check the project docs for container support. Vikunja: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, TaskBoard or Vikunja?
TaskBoard has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Vikunja. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.