Open-source alternatives to Trello

At a glance

Open-source alternatives to Trello compared
Tool	Licence	Self-hosting difficulty	Who it suits	Strengths
Wekan	MIT	Moderate: Docker or Snap on a Linux server; no separate database server needed by default	Teams leaving Trello who want the same way of working	Familiar boards, lists and cards, Trello import, swimlanes, calendar and Gantt views, rules for automating routine jobs
Kanboard	MIT	Easy: a small PHP app, with SQLite for small teams or PostgreSQL recommended	Small teams at a desk who want a light, no-frills board	Simple to run, work-in-progress limits, subtasks and estimates, automatic actions, search language

Wekan: MIT. Licence checked 31 October 2026.
Kanboard: MIT. The project says it is in maintenance mode, but releases continue. Licence checked 31 October 2026.

Trello is lovely. It's simple, everybody gets it within a minute, and for a small team the free plan goes a long way. You get 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace for nothing.

The trouble starts when you outgrow that. Standard is $5 per user a month on an annual plan, and Premium is $10. For a team of ten that's $600 or $1,200 a year, for what's still a board with cards on it. If that's where you are, the two tools below are worth a look.

If you're happily on the free plan, stay there. Nothing here beats free and already working.

Wekan

Wekan is the closest thing to a self-hosted Trello. Boards, lists, cards: if you've used one, you've used the other.

Trello import, including Trello's Butler rules, so you don't have to start again.
More views than a plain board: swimlanes, table, calendar and Gantt.
Rules that automate routine jobs, along the lines of Trello's own automation.
Very active development. The project says it ships updates many times a day.
Simple to host for its size. The default setup uses SQLite through FerretDB, so no separate database server is needed. It runs through Docker, Snap, or a bundle for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Two things to watch. The project supports only the newest version, so you'll need to stay current, and that many releases means a fair bit of change. Also, the README mentions a mobile view and a web app setting, but not native iPhone or Android apps, so check it suits your team on a phone.

Kanboard

Kanboard is the quiet, sensible one. It's a PHP application that does Kanban and not much else.

Light to run. PHP 8.1 or later, with PostgreSQL recommended, or SQLite for one person or a small team.
Work-in-progress limits, which highlight a column when too much is sitting in it.
Subtasks, estimates, comments, attachments and due dates.
Automatic actions that respond to events.
A simple search language for filtering tasks.
Sign in with LDAP, Active Directory or OAuth2, including Google.

The big caveat is in the project's own README: Kanboard is in maintenance mode. The author isn't building major new features, only small fixes, though releases continue through community contributions and pull requests are still accepted.

That isn't necessarily a problem. Finished software can be a fine thing. But don't pick it expecting it to grow. It's also a desktop tool: the docs say boards are hard to use on small screens. I couldn't find a Trello importer in its docs either, so check that before planning a move.

What it costs

Trello

Trello Standard: £3.79 per user a month, billed annually (converted from $5 at the European Central Bank reference rate on 2 October 2026). Checked 31 October 2026 (source).
Trello Premium: £7.58 per user a month, billed annually (converted from $10 at the European Central Bank reference rate on 2 October 2026). Checked 31 October 2026 (source).

Self-hosted, run for you

No per-user fees. Adding people doesn't add licence costs.
Setup: a one-off fee to set it up and move your data across.
Hosting and care: a fixed monthly fee covering every app on your server.
I'll quote once I know what you need.

Paid tool prices exclude VAT unless stated.

The UK angle

For most small firms, Trello is fine. Task boards rarely hold anything very sensitive, and being on a US platform isn't a reason to move.

Take a look at what's actually on your cards, though. If people have started attaching CVs, customer details or contracts, that's personal data, and you'll want to know where it sits. Self-hosting on a UK server settles that, and it means you're the one keeping it safe.

On ownership, any board member can export a Trello board to JSON, which is handy for moving. CSV export is a Premium feature and leaves out comments. Trello's help also says you can't import those files back in to recreate a board, so an export is a record rather than a true backup.

Honest drawbacks

Fewer add-ons. Expect fewer ready-made integrations than Trello's Power-Ups.
Phone use is the weak spot. Kanboard is poor on small screens, and Wekan doesn't list native apps.
Wekan moves quickly. You need to keep up with updates.
Kanboard isn't going anywhere new. Maintenance mode means what it says.
Less polish. I wouldn't expect either to feel as slick as Trello, and non-technical colleagues will notice.
Someone has to run it: updates, backups, and the server itself.

Which one?

My pick is Wekan. If you're leaving Trello, it's the shortest step: same way of working, and your boards can come with you. The main drawback is the phone experience, with no native apps listed by the project.

Kanboard is the realistic alternative for a small desk-based team that wants something light and doesn't need a Trello import.

Need it built or customised?

If you'd like cards created from your own systems, or a board built around how you work, the team at Dev Partners can build that for you.