Plane vs Redmine
Both are free/open-source alternatives to Jira. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Plane
AGPL-3.0, modern open-source project management for issues, cycles, and roadmaps — a lighter, contemporary Jira alternative.
Plane is a modern, AGPL-3.0 open-source project management platform built by Plane Software Inc. Its free Community Edition offers work items, cycles (sprints), modules (epics), roadmaps, and a built-in wiki with a clean, contemporary UI, plus a REST API and webhooks. It is self-hostable via Docker or Kubernetes and includes importers from Jira, Linear, and Asana. A separate Commercial/Enterprise edition adds features such as SSO/SAML, air-gapped deployment, and advanced admin under a commercial license. Plane suits product and engineering teams who want a fast, current alternative to Jira without the heavier configuration surface.
Redmine
GPL-2.0 veteran project management and issue tracker — lightweight, extensible, and runs on modest hardware.
Redmine is a long-established, GPL-2.0-or-later open-source project management and issue-tracking web application built on Ruby on Rails. It provides flexible issue tracking, role-based access control, Gantt charts and calendars, per-project wikis and forums, time tracking, custom fields, and integration with source-control systems, extended by a broad plugin ecosystem. It is fully self-hosted, database-agnostic, and light enough to run on modest hardware. Redmine is a solid choice for technical teams that want a stable, no-subscription tracker they fully control, and that don't mind a more utilitarian interface and some configuration to reach modern conveniences.
Side by side
| Plane | Redmine | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 92 | 90 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 (Community Edition); Enterprise edition under a separate commercial license | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Pricing | Free to self-host (Community Edition, AGPL-3.0); paid cloud and Enterprise tiers available | Free / self-host (GPL-2.0-or-later); costs are hosting, maintenance, and optional third-party support only |
Plane edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Plane
Strengths
- +AGPL-3.0 Community Edition is OSI-approved open-source and free to self-host with unlimited users and projects
- +Modern, polished UI with cycles, modules, roadmaps, and a built-in wiki
- +Self-hostable via Docker or Kubernetes; your data stays on infrastructure you control
- +Built-in importers from Jira, Linear, and Asana ease migration
- +Very active project with frequent releases and a large, fast-growing community
Trade-offs
- −SSO/SAML, air-gapped deployment, and some advanced features require the paid Enterprise edition
- −A production self-hosted stack runs several services (Postgres, Redis/Valkey, object storage, message broker, proxy), so it is operationally substantial
- −Younger than Redmine or OpenProject, so some enterprise areas are still maturing
- −AGPL-3.0 network-copyleft terms may need legal review if you modify it and offer it as a service to others
Redmine
Strengths
- +Fully GPL-2.0-or-later open-source with no paid tier gating core features
- +Lightweight and cross-database; runs comfortably on modest hardware, including small VPS or homelab setups
- +Long track record, very stable, with a large plugin ecosystem and REST API
- +Self-hosted with your data in a standard SQL database you control
Trade-offs
- −Interface is more utilitarian and dated than Jira or the newer alternatives here
- −Advanced planning (e.g. richer agile boards, portfolio views) often depends on third-party plugins of varying quality
- −Release cadence is steady but slower than fast-moving projects like Plane
- −You handle installation, upgrades, backups, and plugin compatibility yourself
More Jira head-to-heads
Facts verified 2026-07-07. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.