Taskell 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 | Taskell | Tasks.md |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 66 · Good |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Haskell | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,783 | ★ 2,200 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Trello, Things | Trello |
What are Taskell and Tasks.md?
Taskell
Taskell is an open-source command-line kanban board application that stores boards as Markdown files. It offers a keyboard-driven terminal interface for managing personal task lists.
- Terminal kanban board
- Markdown file storage
- Keyboard-driven
- No database needed
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
Taskell vs Tasks.md: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Taskell's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Tasks.md is actively maintained. Taskell is written in Haskell, while Tasks.md is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Taskell versus MIT for Tasks.md. Taskell is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Tasks.md. Taskell is the more established project (first released 2018), while Tasks.md arrived in 2023. Tasks.md lists first-class Docker deployment; Taskell does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Taskell if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Haskell
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 Taskell or Tasks.md better?
Neither is universally better. Tasks.md has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Taskell and Tasks.md free and open-source?
Yes. Taskell is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Tasks.md under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Taskell and Tasks.md with Docker?
Taskell: check the project docs for container support. Tasks.md: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Taskell or Tasks.md?
Taskell has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Tasks.md. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.