10 Best Open Source Project Management Software in 2026 (Free to Use or Self-Host)

Updated October 2026

The short answer: The best open source project management software in 2026 is OpenProject for full-featured planning with Gantt charts and budgets, Plane for a modern Jira-style issue tracker, and Taiga for scrum teams. GitLab suits software teams that want planning next to their code, and Redmine remains the most proven option.

• Best full-featured, EU-friendly option: OpenProject
• Best modern Jira alternative: Plane
• Best for scrum teams: Taiga
• Best for software teams on Git: GitLab
• Best for non-technical teams: Leantime
• Best open source Trello alternative: Wekan
• Best Microsoft Project replacement: ProjectLibre

Open source project management software gives you access to the source code, the option to self-host on your own servers and no lock-in to one vendor’s cloud. It suits privacy-conscious teams, developer teams that want to integrate deeply, and organisations that would rather pay for servers than per-seat licences. Here are 10 of the best options, how each is priced and what self-hosting really involves.

Open source project management software compared

Which open source project management tool should you choose?

• Choose OpenProject if you need Gantt charts, agile boards, time and cost tracking and EU data control in one tool.
• Choose Plane if your software team wants a modern, fast issue tracker with sprints and epics that you can self-host.
• Choose Taiga if your team runs scrum and wants user stories, story points and sprints done properly.
• Choose GitLab if you want issues, boards and milestones in the same system as your code and CI/CD.
• Choose Leantime if non-engineers will use the tool every day.
• Choose a hosted tool instead if nobody on your team wants to run servers. See the comparison with proprietary software below.

1. OpenProject: best full-featured open source project management

OpenProject is a German-built platform that has been open source for many years. It covers Gantt scheduling with dependencies and milestones, work packages, scrum and kanban boards, time and cost tracking, budgets and meeting management. It is licensed under the GPL v3. Because the self-hosted community edition keeps data on your own infrastructure, and the vendor offers EU-hosted cloud, it is a common pick for European organisations with GDPR requirements.

• Gantt charts with dependencies and milestones
• Scrum and kanban boards alongside classic planning
• Time tracking, budgets and cost reporting

Self-hosting: Docker or packaged Linux installation. The community edition is free; the enterprise edition adds premium features and support.

Best for: European organisations, teams mixing agile and waterfall, and teams replacing Microsoft Project. See OpenProject on Spotsaas.

2. Plane: best open source alternative to Jira

Plane is a newer open source project tool with a modern interface. It was designed as a Jira alternative and supports issues, cycles (sprints), modules (epics) and pages (docs) in one workspace. The community edition can be self-hosted with Docker, and Plane also sells a hosted cloud.

• Issue tracking with custom states, priorities and labels
• Cycles for sprints, with progress charts
• Modules for grouping issues into epics or phases

Self-hosting: Docker Compose, officially documented.

Best for: software teams leaving Jira that want a modern interface and self-hosting. Compare it with the options in our Jira alternatives.

3. Taiga: best for agile and scrum teams

Taiga is built for agile teams, with first-class scrum and kanban support and a clean interface. It remains a top choice for teams that work in sprints with user stories and epics.

• Scrum boards with sprints, user stories and story points
• Kanban boards with swimlanes and WIP limits
• Issue tracker and wiki

Self-hosting: Docker Compose, well documented.

Best for: product and software teams that follow scrum. See Taiga on Spotsaas.

4. Redmine: best for teams that need long-term stability

Redmine, built on Ruby on Rails and licensed under the GPL v2, has been a workhorse of open source project management for well over a decade. It is stable and has a large plugin ecosystem. The interface looks dated, but its depth and track record make it a safe choice for organisations that value stability.

• Issue tracking with custom fields, workflows and per-project permissions
• Multi-project support with role-based access
• Time tracking, Gantt charts, calendars and a wiki per project

Self-hosting: Ruby on Rails stack; Docker images make deployment easier. Hosted Redmine is available from third-party providers.

Best for: engineering firms, public sector teams and enterprises that want a proven tool with no vendor dependency.

5. GitLab: best for software development teams

GitLab’s community edition (MIT licensed) combines source code management, CI/CD and project planning (issues, milestones, epics and boards) in one platform. Requirements live in the same system as the code, merge requests and deployments.

• Issue boards, milestones and epics next to your repositories
• Built-in CI/CD pipelines
• Merge request reviews and security scanning

Self-hosting: free community edition on Linux, with official Docker and Helm deployments.

Best for: software teams that want planning, code and CI/CD in one self-hosted platform. See GitLab on Spotsaas.

6. Leantime: best open source PM for non-technical teams

Leantime (AGPL v3) is a strategic project management system for non-technical teams and small businesses. It emphasises goals, idea boards and a clean task interface that non-engineers learn quickly. It runs on PHP and MySQL or Docker.

• Roadmaps and goals tied to project tasks
• Timesheets and project budgets
• Kanban boards, to-do lists and milestones

Self-hosting: PHP and MySQL, or Docker.

Best for: agencies, nonprofits and small teams that want open source without developer-level setup. See Leantime on Spotsaas.

7. ProjectLibre: best open source alternative to Microsoft Project

ProjectLibre is a desktop application that mirrors Microsoft Project’s approach and can open Microsoft Project files. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It lacks real-time collaboration, but its scheduling depth is close to commercial tools.

• Gantt charts with dependencies, critical path and resource levelling
• PERT charts and network diagrams
• Cost tracking with baseline versus actual

Self-hosting: not needed; it is a desktop app.

Best for: project managers who need Microsoft Project-style scheduling for free. For hosted Gantt tools, see our best Gantt chart software guide.

8. Odoo Project: best if you need projects plus ERP

Odoo is an open source business suite (ERP, CRM, inventory, accounting, HR) with a project module. The community edition is LGPL v3 and free to self-host; some modules are only in the paid enterprise edition. It makes sense when projects need to connect to timesheets, invoicing and customer data.

• Kanban and list project views
• Integration with Odoo timesheets, invoicing and CRM
• Customer portal for project updates

Self-hosting: Python stack or Docker for the community edition.

Best for: service businesses that want projects tied to billing and operations.

9. Wekan: best simple open source kanban board (a true Trello alternative)

Wekan is an MIT-licensed, self-hostable kanban board and a genuine open source alternative to Trello, which is proprietary. It covers boards, lists, cards, labels, due dates, checklists and attachments without any per-user pricing.

• Unlimited boards and cards when self-hosted
• Swimlanes, custom fields and WIP limits
• LDAP and OAuth sign-in

Self-hosting: Snap or Docker.

Best for: teams that want Trello-style simplicity on their own servers. See Wekan on Spotsaas or our Trello alternatives.

10. GanttProject: best free Gantt chart tool

GanttProject (GPL v3) is a lightweight desktop app for Gantt-based planning on Windows, macOS and Linux. It does one thing well: Gantt charts with dependencies, milestones and resource charts for simple to mid-sized projects.

• Task dependencies and milestones
• Resource load chart
• Export to PDF, PNG, HTML and Microsoft Project-compatible XML

Best for: students, freelancers and small teams that need Gantt charts at no cost. You can also create Gantt charts online for free.

What is the best self-hosted Asana alternative?

Asana cannot be self-hosted. The closest self-hosted options are OpenProject (projects, timelines and boards for mixed teams), Leantime (simple for non-technical users) and Plane (if the team is mostly engineers). Expect fewer integrations and less polish than Asana, and plan for someone to own updates and backups. If self-hosting is not a hard requirement, compare hosted options in our Asana alternatives.

Which project management tools can be hosted in the EU?

Any self-hosted tool on this list can run in an EU data centre you choose, which is the simplest way to keep project data in the EU. OpenProject also offers EU-hosted cloud. For commercial SaaS tools, ask each vendor which regions they offer, on which plan, and for their data processing agreement before you buy.

Open source vs proprietary project management software

The choice is not only about licence cost. It is a trade between control and convenience.

If your team decides self-hosting is not worth the effort, hosted work management tools remove the server work. monday.com, Asana and ClickUp are the usual starting points for business teams, and Jira for software teams. None of them is open source or self-hostable, and they charge per seat (monday.com sells paid seats in bundles with a 3-seat minimum). Compare them in our best project management software guide.

How to set up self-hosted project management software

1. Size the server. Most tools run on a small Linux virtual server for a small team. Check each project’s documented minimum memory and CPU, and size up for larger teams.
2. Install with Docker. Most modern tools ship Docker Compose files: clone the repository, copy the example environment file, set your domain and secrets, and start the containers.
3. Add a domain and SSL. Point a DNS record at the server and put a reverse proxy such as Nginx or Caddy in front, with automatic certificates.
4. Set up backups first. Schedule database and file backups and test a restore before you invite the whole team.
5. Onboard the team. Create accounts or connect single sign-on, import existing data and set up your first project template.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides: best project management software for small business, best kanban software and Asana alternatives.