Home / Project Management & Kanban / Alternatives to Trello

3 open source alternatives to Trello

Simple kanban boards. Here are the open source projects real teams use instead — ranked by fit, with honest pros and cons for each.

What people don't love about Trello

  • Power-ups add up fast once you need automation.
  • Large boards get slow.
  • No self-hosted option.

Current Trello pricing (for reference): Free tier; Standard from $5/user/month.

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Quick comparison

Alternative Best for License Self-host Hosted cloud?
Planka
Trello-style kanban you can self-host in minutes. 		The cleanest, lightest Trello replacement you can self-host. AGPL-3.0 ★★☆☆☆ Self-host only
Focalboard
Open source Trello/Notion hybrid by Mattermost. 		When you want a Trello/Notion hybrid and maybe Mattermost later. MIT / AGPL-3.0 ★★☆☆☆ Yes
Wekan
Open source kanban with long self-hosted history. 		Enterprises that want a long-proven kanban with SSO. MIT ★★★☆☆ Yes

1. Planka — The cleanest, lightest Trello replacement you can self-host.

Trello-style kanban you can self-host in minutes.

Strengths

  • One-command Docker deploy.
  • Clean Trello-like UX.
  • Lightweight and fast.

Weaknesses

  • Fewer power-ups than Trello.
  • No official mobile app.
  • Small team — features land at moderate pace.
License: AGPL-3.0 Self-host difficulty: 2/5

Planka homepage · Source on GitHub · Trello vs Planka →

2. Focalboard — When you want a Trello/Notion hybrid and maybe Mattermost later.

Open source Trello/Notion hybrid by Mattermost.

Strengths

  • Integrates tightly with Mattermost.
  • Personal desktop mode (no server required).
  • Multiple views — board, table, gallery.

Weaknesses

  • Development pace has slowed after Mattermost integration.
  • Smaller community.
  • Feature set is narrower than Notion.
License: MIT / AGPL-3.0 Self-host difficulty: 2/5 Hosted cloud optionDesktop: Windows, macOS, Linux

Focalboard homepage · Source on GitHub · Trello vs Focalboard →

3. Wekan — Enterprises that want a long-proven kanban with SSO.

Open source kanban with long self-hosted history.

Strengths

  • Mature project used by governments and enterprises.
  • Sandstorm/snap/docker packages available.
  • Supports import from Trello.

Weaknesses

  • UI is functional but dated.
  • Performance can be sluggish on large boards.
  • Meteor stack is heavier than modern alternatives.
License: MIT Self-host difficulty: 3/5 Hosted cloud optionMobile: Android

Wekan homepage · Source on GitHub · Trello vs Wekan →

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