OpenProject vs Vikunja
Both are alternatives to Trello. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Vikunja vs OpenProject — same comparison, one verdict.
OpenProject and Vikunja are closely matched on ownership (91 vs 89) — this one comes down to pricing and to which trade-offs below you can live with.
OpenProject
A full open-source project management suite for teams that outgrow a simple board.
OpenProject is a complete, self-hostable project management platform: Kanban-style boards sit alongside Gantt charts, backlogs, roadmaps, work packages, time tracking, and fine-grained permissions. The Community edition is the entire open-source codebase and is fully functional with no feature paywall; paid Enterprise tiers add professional support and a handful of add-ons (which are themselves open source and periodically folded back into Community).
Vikunja
A modern task manager with List, Kanban, Gantt, and Table views in one app.
Vikunja is an open-source task and project manager that goes beyond a pure Kanban board: the same tasks can be viewed as a list, a Kanban board, a Gantt-style timeline, or a table. It ships as a single Go binary plus a Vue.js frontend, supports PostgreSQL/MySQL/SQLite, and includes CalDAV sync so tasks show up in any calendar app. A small set of admin-oriented features (admin panel, audit logs, time tracking) require a paid 'Pro' license key even for self-hosted instances; every core feature — including Kanban, Gantt, and the full API — remains free.
Side by side
10 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| OpenProject | Vikunja | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 91 | 89 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | Free / self-host (Community edition); paid Enterprise on-premises support from ~$5.95/user/month, or Enterprise Cloud hosting from ~$4.95/user/month | Free / self-host for all core features; Pro add-ons (admin panel, audit logs, time tracking) via a paid license from ~$5/user/month; managed Cloud hosting also available |
| RAM to run it wellThe figure that actually matters, not the vendor's minimum. | 4 GB. The vendor sizes its minimum for up to 200 users, so a 5–20 person team fits inside it | 1 GB for Vikunja plus PostgreSQL on one box. The docs say you probably won't need Redis until you have more than a handful of users |
| Realistic running costWhat the box costs each month if you run it yourself. | $24–48/mo for a 5–20 user instance on a 4 vCPU / 4–8 GB VPS | $5–6/mo for a 5–20 user instance on a 1 GB VPS |
| Setup timeHonest first-install estimate, not the marketing quickstart. | 1–2 hours with the official Docker Compose repo, longer if you put your own TLS proxy in front | 20 minutes with docker compose, an hour with a reverse proxy and TLS |
| Ongoing maintenanceThe part nobody budgets for. | A minor release roughly every month in 2026 (17.4 in May, 17.9 on 30 September). Major versions must be taken one at a time, because going from X to X+2 needs X+1 in between, and the vendor strongly recommends a backup before each. | Frequent releases. 2.0.0 in February 2026 fixed four critical security issues, and 2.1 through 2.6 followed by August. Upgrade promptly, and back up the database and files/ separately. |
OpenProject edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Weighing both against staying on Trello? Is Trello free? What it actually costs →
OpenProject
Strengths
- +Genuinely not an open-core product — the vendor states plainly that Enterprise plans pay for support and add-ons, not for unlocking withheld features
- +Covers a much broader project-management surface than Trello: Gantt charts, backlogs, budgeting, and formal work-package tracking
- +Strong documentation and an active global community with regular releases
- +Enterprise add-ons are periodically released back into the free Community edition
Trade-offs
- −Heavier to run than a Kanban-only tool — a Ruby on Rails + PostgreSQL stack needs more server resources than Wekan or Kanboard
- −The extra structure (work packages, roadmaps, backlogs) is more than most Trello users need if all they want is a simple card board
- −Steeper learning curve for a team used to Trello's minimalism
- −Professional support requires an Enterprise subscription; community-only support is the default on Community edition
Vikunja
Strengths
- +Four task views (List, Kanban, Gantt, Table) cover more workflows than a Kanban-only tool
- +Natural-language 'Quick Add Magic' parses due dates, priority, labels, and assignee from one line of text
- +CalDAV support integrates tasks into existing calendar apps
- +Very actively developed with a comprehensive test suite and seven built-in importers, including one specifically for Trello
Trade-offs
- −AGPL-3.0 requires anyone who modifies and network-serves Vikunja to release those changes — a real consideration for companies building a hosted product on top of it
- −A handful of genuinely useful admin/audit features sit behind a paid license even when self-hosting, so 'fully free' has a practical asterisk
- −More moving parts (Go backend + Vue frontend + DB) than a single-file tool like Kanboard
- −Newer project than Wekan or OpenProject, so its long-term enterprise track record is shorter
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose OpenProject
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and genuinely not an open-core product — the vendor states plainly that Enterprise plans pay for support and add-ons, not for unlocking withheld features.
Choose Vikunja
if four task views (List, Kanban, Gantt, Table) cover more workflows than a Kanban-only tool.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — heavier to run than a Kanban-only tool — a Ruby on Rails + PostgreSQL stack needs more server resources than Wekan or Kanboard, and aGPL-3.0 requires anyone who modifies and network-serves Vikunja to release those changes — a real consideration for companies building a hosted product on top of it. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
What it takes to run these yourself
Real requirements and honest running costs, not the vendor quickstart.
Self-hosting OpenProject
4 GB. The vendor sizes its minimum for up to 200 users, so a 5–20 person team fits inside it RAM · 1–2 hours with the official Docker Compose repo, longer if you put your own TLS proxy in front
$24–48/mo for a 5–20 user instance on a 4 vCPU / 4–8 GB VPS
Self-hosting Vikunja
1 GB for Vikunja plus PostgreSQL on one box. The docs say you probably won't need Redis until you have more than a handful of users RAM · 20 minutes with docker compose, an hour with a reverse proxy and TLS
$5–6/mo for a 5–20 user instance on a 1 GB VPS
OpenProject vs Vikunja — common questions
Is OpenProject a better fit than Vikunja for project management?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: OpenProject scores 91 to Vikunja's 89 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Vikunja earns its place on a different axis — four task views (List, Kanban, Gantt, Table) cover more workflows than a Kanban-only tool. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
OpenProject keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Vikunja is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host OpenProject or Vikunja?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are OpenProject and Vikunja both alternatives to Trello?
Yes — both appear in our Trello comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Trello and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-07-18. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.