OpenProject vs Vikunja
Both are free/open-source alternatives to Trello. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
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
| OpenProject | Vikunja | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 91 | 89 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first | 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 |
OpenProject edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
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
More Trello head-to-heads
Facts verified 2026-07-08. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.