The alternatives
wekan
The Open Source kanban, built with Meteor. GitHub issues/PRs are only for FLOSS Developers, not for support, support is at https://wekan.fi/commercial-support/ . New English strings for new features at imports/i18n/data/en.i18n.json . Non-English translations at https://app.transifex.com/wekan/wekan only.
wekan/wekan Updated 2026-04-29 planka
PLANKA is the Kanban-style project mastering tool for everyone
plankanban/planka Updated 2026-04-18 leanote
Not Just A Notepad! (golang + mongodb) http://leanote.org
leanote/leanote Updated 2023-11-27 kanboard
Kanban project management software
kanboard/kanboard Updated 2026-04-23 Comparison notes
OSS alternatives typically require self-hosting and operational effort in exchange for predictable cost and full data control. Feature parity varies — evaluate each option against your specific workflow before committing.
Migration tips
- Export data from the SaaS before migration (most provide CSV/JSON exports)
- Pilot the OSS alternative with a subset of your team before full rollout
- Budget for self-hosting infrastructure and maintenance time
FAQ
Can I fully replace Trello with an OSS tool?
Feature parity varies. Most OSS alternatives cover 70-90% of core workflows, but may lack polish, integrations, or specialized features. Pilot the alternative with a subset of your team before fully committing.
What's the cost of self-hosting?
Plan for ~$5-50/month in VPS costs (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, etc.) plus 2-8 hours/month in maintenance. For a team of 20+, self-hosting usually breaks even against SaaS pricing within 6-12 months.
Which alternative should I pick?
Sort by GitHub stars (a proxy for community health), check the last-pushed date (avoid unmaintained projects), and read recent issues to gauge responsiveness.