Alternatives / Basecamp
Looking for an open source Basecamp alternative? We compared 17 open source project management and Kanban tools by license, self-hosting, views, and AI features. They range from simple boards to full suites, and several use fair-source or open-core licenses.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Plane | Modern issues, wikis, and AI agents | AGPL-3.0 |
| Huly | Projects, chat, and docs in one (EPL-2.0) | EPL-2.0 |
| Wekan | Open-source Kanban boards | MIT |
| OpenProject | Full project suite (some features are Enterprise) | GPL-3.0 |
| Planka | Kanban boards (Fair Use license) | Fair Use License |
| Kaneo | Developer-focused Kanban | MIT |
| Leantime | Goal-driven projects (open core) | AGPL-3.0 core |
| Fizzy | Simple Kanban by 37signals (fair-source license) | Fair-source / O'Saasy-style license |
| Redmine | Configurable issue tracking | GPL-2.0 |
| Worklenz | Agencies with resource planning (open core) | AGPL-3.0 core |
| Taiga | Agile Scrum and Kanban | MPL-2.0 |
| Kanba | Kanban on Supabase | MIT |
| Operately | Company goals and projects (young) | Apache-2.0 |
| Ever Teams | Work management and time tracking | AGPL-3.0 |
| Windshift | Boards, portals, and test management (young) | AGPL-3.0 |
| Orgnise | Task management (inactive since 2025) | AGPL-3.0 |
| Manage | Small multi-tenant task tool (very small) | AGPL-3.0 |
We looked for open-source tools that overlap with Basecamp's core: organizing projects, to-dos, and team communication in one place. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository. Basecamp is a flat, opinionated tool, so the list mixes simple boards and full suites, and we flag fair-source, open-core, and inactive projects. See our methodology for the full criteria.
Wekan, Kaneo, and Kanba are MIT and Operately is Apache-2.0, but Planka uses the PLANKA Fair Use License and Fizzy uses a fair-source, O'Saasy-style license, so both are not standard open source. Huly is EPL-2.0, Plane, Leantime, and Worklenz are AGPL-3.0 with paid editions, and OpenProject is GPL-3.0 with some security features in its Enterprise edition.
Plane and Huly are the closest modern all-rounders, combining projects, docs, and communication, with Plane adding AI agents and Huly adding chat and a virtual office. Leantime and OpenProject cover structured project management, and Fizzy, Wekan, Planka, and Kaneo focus on simple Kanban boards.
Orgnise's last commit was in July 2025, so it appears inactive, and Manage has only about 70 stars. Operately, Windshift, Ever Teams, and Kanba are young or small, so check their maturity first.
Wekan, Kaneo, and Kanba are MIT, OpenProject is GPL-3.0, Redmine is GPL-2.0, Taiga is MPL-2.0, Operately is Apache-2.0, and Huly is EPL-2.0. Plane, Leantime's core, Worklenz, Ever Teams, Windshift, Orgnise, and Manage are AGPL-3.0, and Planka and Fizzy use fair-source licenses.
Most projects had commits within days of this update. Kanba's last commit was in August 2026 and Orgnise's in July 2025.
Basecamp is a proprietary hosted service with per-seat or flat-fee pricing, a fixed feature set, and data stored on its servers. Open-source alternatives let you self-host project data, add views such as Kanban and Gantt, avoid per-seat pricing, and customize workflows, at the cost of running the software and, for some, a less opinionated and simple experience.
AGPL-3.0 project platform with issues, projects, cycles, initiatives, documentation, dashboards, intake, AI-assisted automation, APIs, and MCP. Supports cloud, self-hosted, Kubernetes, and air-gapped deployments.
Pricing: Open-source self-hosted edition and paid cloud options.
EPL-2.0 all-in-one collaboration platform combining rich documents, version history, mentions, project management, chat, CRM, planning, notifications, and GitHub integration. Hosted service has been discontinued, making self-hosting the primary deployment path.
Pricing: Open-source self-hosted platform; hosted service discontinued.
MIT Kanban application with boards, lists, draggable cards, labels, due dates, attachments, comments, members, filters, real-time updates, and Trello import.
Pricing: Free and open source; self-hosted deployment.
GPL-3.0 project management platform with Kanban, Scrum, Gantt charts, dependencies, time and cost tracking, team planning, meetings, roadmaps, portfolios, wiki, and self-hosting. Enterprise functionality is also available commercially.
Pricing: Open-source self-hosted Community edition and commercial Enterprise edition.
Self-hosted board system with boards, lists, cards, comments, attachments, labels, custom fields, timers, due dates, and real-time synchronization. Current versions use a Fair Use License rather than the historical MIT license, with Pro and Enterprise licensing.
Pricing: Self-hosted source-available edition; Pro and Enterprise functionality is commercial.
AGPL-3.0-core project management platform connecting goals and strategy to tasks, roadmaps, timelines, Kanban, time tracking, Pomodoro, personal planning, and AI assistance. Commercial functionality exists around the open-source core.
Pricing: Self-hosted open-source core and commercial features.
MIT project management application with clean Kanban workflows, task and issue tracking, self-hosting, MCP support, and a lightweight architecture designed as an alternative to heavier developer tools.
Pricing: Free and open-source self-hosted application.
Kanban project tracker from 37signals with cards, boards, public boards, automatic card closing, notifications, stamps, and webhooks. Source is public, but current licensing is fair-source/O'Saasy-style rather than conventional OSI-approved open source.
Pricing: Self-hostable source-available software; review current license terms.
GPL-2.0 project management system with issue tracking, multiple projects, roles and permissions, time tracking, Gantt charts, calendars, SCM integrations, wiki, custom fields, and a large plugin ecosystem. GitHub repository is a mirror.
Pricing: Free and open source self-hosted project; commercial hosting/support available from third parties.
AGPL-3.0-core project platform for agencies and service teams, combining tasks, Kanban, workload management, resource allocation, time tracking, reporting, collaboration, and client workflows. Enterprise functionality is maintained separately.
Pricing: Self-hosted open-source core with separate Enterprise functionality.
MPL-2.0 Agile platform with backlogs, sprints, epics, user stories, issues, WIP limits, swimlanes, burndown charts, permissions, reporting, and wikis. Current backend repository is taiga-back; current repository popularity is lower than historical project repositories.
Pricing: Open-source self-hosted platform and managed service options.
MIT Kanban application using Supabase with visual boards, real-time collaboration, responsive UI, and Stripe integrations for project and client workflows.
Pricing: Open-source project; verify the official repository and current deployment instructions.
AGPL-3.0 work-management project connected to the Ever Gauzy ecosystem, combining projects, tasks, time tracking, workforce management, productivity metrics, and integrations. The project is marked as work in progress.
Pricing: Open-source project; review current deployment and maturity before production use.
Apache-2.0 company operations platform focused on projects, organizational goals, ownership, progress check-ins, recurring processes, and execution. Self-hosting avoids a per-seat SaaS model, but the product is more management-process oriented than a general task tracker.
Pricing: Open-source self-hosted platform with hosted options.
AGPL-3.0 work-management platform built with Go and Svelte. It includes boards, milestones, portals, time tracking, test management, OIDC, and SQLite or PostgreSQL deployment options for modest infrastructure.
Pricing: Open-source self-hosted application.
Orgnise is an AGPL-3.0 project and task management platform with collaboration and workflow features. It is an adjacent option for organizing information and projects rather than a direct personal knowledge-management replacement.
Pricing: Free and open source under AGPL-3.0; verify current project activity and deployment options.
AGPL-3.0 self-hosted project-management application combining tasks, file sharing, events, comments, activity tracking, and multi-tenant architecture. The project has a very small community and is less mature than established alternatives.
Pricing: Open-source self-hosted project.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plane | Project management | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Modern teams |
| Huly | Projects, chat, docs | EPL-2.0 | Yes | All-in-one |
| Wekan | Kanban | MIT | Yes | Boards |
| OpenProject | Project suite | GPL-3.0 + Enterprise | Yes | Structured projects |
| Planka | Kanban | PLANKA Fair Use License | Yes | Boards |
| Kaneo | Kanban | MIT | Yes | Developers |
| Leantime | Project management | AGPL-3.0 core + paid | Yes | Goals |
| Fizzy | Kanban | Fair-source (O'Saasy-style) | Yes | Simple boards |
| Redmine | Issue tracker | GPL-2.0 | Yes | Configurable tracking |
| Worklenz | Agency platform | AGPL-3.0 + commercial | Yes | Resource planning |
| Taiga | Agile tool | MPL-2.0 | Yes | Scrum and Kanban |
| Kanba | Kanban | MIT | Yes | Supabase users |
| Operately | Company management | Apache-2.0 | Yes | Startups |
| Ever Teams | Work management | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Time tracking |
| Windshift | Project tool | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Boards and portals |
| Orgnise | Task management | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Inactive |
| Manage | Task tool | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Small teams |
Want a modern all-round project tool
Plane combines issues, wikis, and AI agents, self-hosted or in its cloud, under AGPL-3.0.
Want projects, chat, and docs in one platform
Huly combines project management, team chat, a virtual office, and collaborative docs under EPL-2.0.
Want a classic open-source Kanban board
Wekan is an MIT-licensed Kanban board with self-hosting and Trello import tools.
Want a full project suite with Gantt charts
OpenProject offers Gantt charts, agile boards, and time tracking, with some security features in its Enterprise edition.
Want a developer-friendly board
Kaneo is an MIT self-hosted Kanban tool aimed at developers with essential features.