Tasks.md vs Wekan
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Wekan
Open-source kanban board for collaboration
| Feature | Tasks.md | Wekan |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 66 · Good | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, snap |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,200 | ★ 21,094 |
| First released | 2023 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Trello | Trello |
What are Tasks.md and Wekan?
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
Wekan
Wekan is an open-source kanban board application for collaborative task and project tracking with cards, swimlanes, and rules. It targets teams wanting a self-hosted kanban tool. It is deployed via Docker or Snap.
- Kanban boards with swimlanes
- Card automation rules
- Time tracking and checklists
- LDAP and OAuth support
Tasks.md vs Wekan: key differences
Both projects are written in JavaScript. Tasks.md is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Wekan. Wekan is the more established project (first released 2015), while Tasks.md arrived in 2023. Wekan has the considerably larger community, at 21,094 GitHub stars versus 2,200.
Why pick each one
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)
Choose Wekan if…
- Mature kanban tool
- Self-hostable
- Good permissions
Watch out for
- Can feel heavy
- UI is dated
Frequently asked questions
Is Tasks.md or Wekan better?
Neither is universally better. Wekan 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 Tasks.md and Wekan free and open-source?
Yes. Tasks.md is licensed under MIT and Wekan under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tasks.md and Wekan with Docker?
Tasks.md: yes. Wekan: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Tasks.md or Wekan?
Tasks.md has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Wekan. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.