Taskcafe vs Tasks.md
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Taskcafe | Tasks.md |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 21 · At risk | 66 · Good |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,214 | ★ 2,200 |
| First released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Trello, Asana | Trello |
What are Taskcafe and Tasks.md?
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
Tasks.md
Tasks.md is a self-hosted, file-based task management tool where every card is a Markdown file. It provides a kanban interface backed entirely by plain text files.
- Cards stored as Markdown files
- No database required
- Drag-and-drop kanban board
- Easy to back up with git
Taskcafe vs Tasks.md: key differences
Taskcafe is written in TypeScript, while Tasks.md is built with JavaScript. Tasks.md is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Taskcafe. Taskcafe is the more established project (first released 2020), while Tasks.md arrived in 2023. Taskcafe has the considerably larger community, at 5,214 GitHub stars versus 2,200.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Tasks.md if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Taskcafe or Tasks.md better?
Neither is universally better. Taskcafe has the larger community, while Tasks.md is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Taskcafe and Tasks.md free and open-source?
Yes. Taskcafe is licensed under MIT and Tasks.md under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Taskcafe and Tasks.md with Docker?
Taskcafe: yes. Tasks.md: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Taskcafe or Tasks.md?
Tasks.md 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.