# Open-source kanban boards

A kanban board shows work as cards moving across columns, the way Trello does. The projects below run on your own server or computer, so boards and cards stay with you and there is no per-user plan.

Some are just boards (Planka, Kan, 4ga Boards); others add list, calendar and Gantt views (Vikunja, Kaneo, WeKan) or full Scrum tools (Taiga). Nextcloud Deck lives inside Nextcloud.

> We track 9 open-source kanban boards, each checked for licence, commercial use, hardware, paid services and setup. WeKan, Kanboard, Kaneo and 4ga Boards run on your own machine, allow commercial use and need no paid service. Easiest to set up: WeKan, Kanboard and Vikunja. Facts checked 2026-10-28.

Give this to your agent: "Help me with this: "Open-source kanban boards", using the RepoQuarry guide at https://repoquarry.dev/guides/open-source-kanban-boards.md. Read the whole guide first, including its builds and links. Recommend the option that fits what I am building and why, check each project's official docs (linked there) before installing anything, ask me before spending money or using my accounts, and tell me what you set up when you finish."

## Best for…
- **Easiest to start:** [WeKan](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/wekan.md). Setup rated easy: Easy; unzip the bundle (includes Node.js and SQLite) or install the Snap
- **Nothing to pay for:** [Kanboard](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/kanboard.md). No paid service required: None required; no paid edition found
- **Business use:** [Kaneo](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/kaneo.md). Permissive MIT licence, commercial use confirmed
- **Windows:** [PLANKA](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/planka.md). Documented to run on Windows, Linux
- **Most popular:** [WeKan](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/wekan.md). 21,169 GitHub stars, the most in this list

## Compared
Ordered by our ranking: stars 40%, recent activity 30%, sourced facts 30%.

| Project | Runs locally | Commercial use | Paid services | Setup | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [WeKan](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/wekan.md) | Yes | Yes · MIT | Optional only | Easy | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| [PLANKA](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/planka.md) | Yes | Conditions · Custom licence | Optional only | Medium | Windows, Linux |
| [Kanboard](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/kanboard.md) | Yes | Yes · MIT | None required | Easy | Windows, Linux |
| [Kaneo](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/kaneo.md) | Yes | Yes · MIT | Optional only | Medium | Not confirmed |
| [Vikunja](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/vikunja.md) | Yes | Conditions · AGPL-3.0-or-later | Optional only | Easy | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| [Kan](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/kan.md) | Yes | Conditions · AGPL-3.0 | Optional only | Medium | Not confirmed |
| [Nextcloud Deck](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/nextcloud-deck.md) | Yes | Conditions · AGPL-3.0-or-later | None required | Medium | Linux |
| [4ga Boards](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/4ga-boards.md) | Yes | Yes · MIT | Optional only | Medium | Not confirmed |
| [Taiga](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/taiga.md) | Yes | Conditions · MPL-2.0 | Optional only | Medium | Linux |

## Common questions
### Is there a free, open-source Trello?
Yes. Kanboard and Nextcloud Deck need no paid service at all. WeKan, PLANKA, Kaneo, Vikunja, Kan and 4ga Boards (and 1 more) are free to run, with paid services optional or depending on your setup. The software is free; what you may pay for is the server it runs on and any outside service it relies on, which the paid-services column lists.

### Which open-source kanban boards run in Docker or on-premise?
All 9 can run on your own server: WeKan, PLANKA, Kanboard, Kaneo, Vikunja and Kan (and 3 more). WeKan, PLANKA, Kanboard and Kaneo (and 4 more) document a Docker setup. Setup is rated easy for WeKan, Kanboard and Vikunja.

### Is PLANKA still open source?
Not under the usual definition. PLANKA uses its own PLANKA Community License, a fair-code "Fair Use License" with the source on GitHub. Internal use in your organisation is allowed, but running PLANKA as a hosted service for others for commercial gain is prohibited, and the Pro files are under a commercial licence. (source: https://github.com/plankanban/planka/blob/master/LICENSE.md)

### Which can I use commercially?
Confirmed: WeKan (MIT), Kanboard (MIT), Kaneo (MIT) and 4ga Boards (MIT). With conditions: PLANKA, Vikunja, Kan, Nextcloud Deck and Taiga. This is not legal advice; read each licence.

### Which is easiest to set up?
Rated easy from their install docs: WeKan, Kanboard and Vikunja. Each page links the exact install step we checked.

### Which run on Windows?
WeKan, PLANKA, Kanboard and Vikunja are documented to run on Windows. The others are web apps, servers or unconfirmed; check each page.

### Which run on Linux?
WeKan, PLANKA, Kanboard, Vikunja, Nextcloud Deck and Taiga are documented to run on Linux. The others are web apps, servers or unconfirmed; check each page.

## By paid product
- [Open-source alternatives to Trello](https://repoquarry.dev/alternatives/trello.md)
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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/guides/open-source-kanban-boards). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.