Redmine vs Taiga
Both are free/open-source alternatives to Jira. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
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.
Taiga
Open-source agile project management with clean Scrum and Kanban boards, self-hostable and free.
Taiga is an open-source project management platform focused on agile teams, with Scrum and Kanban boards, backlogs, sprints, epics, issue tracking, and a per-project wiki behind a clean, approachable interface. It is built as a Django/PostgreSQL backend with a separate frontend and is fully self-hostable via Docker, with importers from Jira, Trello, Asana, and others. Note the licensing split: the frontend was relicensed to AGPL-3.0 in 2024 while the backend remains MPL-2.0 — both OSI-approved open-source licenses. Taiga fits teams that want a visually pleasant, agile-first tool they can run themselves without per-seat cost.
Side by side
| Redmine | Taiga | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 90 | 88 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later | AGPL-3.0 (frontend, relicensed 2024); MPL-2.0 (backend) — both OSI-approved |
| Pricing | Free / self-host (GPL-2.0-or-later); costs are hosting, maintenance, and optional third-party support only | Free / self-host (open-source); optional paid hosted cloud plans available from Taiga |
Redmine edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
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
Taiga
Strengths
- +Fully open-source (AGPL-3.0 frontend, MPL-2.0 backend) and free to self-host with unlimited users and projects
- +Clean, agile-first UI with Scrum and Kanban boards, backlogs, sprints, epics, and issue tracking
- +Self-hosted with your data in a PostgreSQL database you control; REST API for integration
- +Importers from Jira, Trello, Asana, and others help with migration
Trade-offs
- −Multi-service stack (Django, PostgreSQL, Redis, RabbitMQ, Celery) makes self-hosting operationally involved
- −Native SSO options are limited and some setups need plugins or extra configuration
- −Development cadence is steady rather than fast-moving
- −The split frontend/backend licensing is worth understanding if you plan to modify and redistribute it
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.