OpenProject

Overview

OpenProject is a web-based project management application published as open source under the GNU GPL v3, with its code on GitHub. The Community edition is free and can be installed on major Linux distributions through DEB or RPM packages, a Docker image or Kubernetes and run entirely inside an organisation's own infrastructure; the same software is also sold as a hosted Enterprise cloud on servers in the European Union. It supports classic, agile and hybrid methods in one place: work packages with hierarchies and relations, Gantt charts with automatic or manual scheduling, baselines, Scrum and Kanban boards with sprints and story points, a team planner and cross-project resource allocation, project portfolios with custom phases and phase gates, plus meetings, documents and project dashboards. Time and money live in the same system, with hours logged against work packages, hourly rates per member, project and period, unit costs, budgets and filterable cost reports. Paid Enterprise plans add features and support on top of the Community edition and begin at 25 users. A REST API (API v3), a BCF API for construction workflows and integrations with Nextcloud, GitHub, GitLab, OneDrive, SharePoint, XWiki and openDesk connect it to the rest of a stack, and an official MCP server lets AI assistants read and change project data under the permissions a user already has.

Best for organisations that need a full project management suite on their own infrastructure rather than in someone else's cloud.

OpenProject is the natural candidate when the binding requirement is that project data never leaves the organisation, because the identical application runs on in-house servers or in an EU cloud and the licence puts no ceiling on self-hosted users. That freedom is paid for twice: once in operations, since somebody has to run, secure and upgrade the installation, and once in the paid tiers, whose user minimums make a small commercial team an awkward fit even though the free edition has none. It is a full planning suite rather than a light task tracker, so a team that wants nothing more than a board will meet more structure than it asked for.

Key Facts

Features

Task planning

Yes, work packages with hierarchies and relations, Gantt charts with automatic or manual scheduling, agile boards for Scrum and Kanban with sprints and story points, and reusable project templates

Resource planning

Yes, team planner plus resource allocation across projects, with working hours, holidays and availability feeding the schedule

Time tracking

Yes, hours logged on work packages daily or weekly, a personal time tracking page and PDF timesheet reports

Reporting and controlling

Yes, filterable cost reports, budgets for labour and unit costs, hourly rates per member and project, baseline comparison and customisable project dashboards

Integrations and API

Yes, REST API v3 and a BCF API, plus integrations with Nextcloud, GitHub, GitLab, OneDrive, SharePoint, XWiki and openDesk and an official MCP server

Integrations

• Nextcloud
• GitHub
• GitLab
• OneDrive
• SharePoint
• XWiki
• openDesk

Deployment and Support

Deployment

• Cloud (SaaS)
• Browser-based
• On-premise

Support

• Email helpdesk
• Phone
• Community forum

Onboarding

• Documentation and knowledge base
• Personal consulting
• Guided onboarding

Company size

• Small and mid-sized
• Enterprise

Suitability

The table combines the industries the vendor addresses with the company sizes the tool is aimed at. An empty cell means the combination is not stated, not that it is ruled out.

Pros and Cons

Pricing

• Community

  €0

  Free and open source, self-hosted, no user minimum. Community features, community forum and user guides.

• Basic

  €5.95

  Per user / month on a one-year term, from 25 users. Adds the Basic Enterprise add-ons and email support, Mon-Fri 9:30-16:00 CET.

• Professional

  €10.95

  Per user / month on a one-year term, from 25 users. Adds the Professional Enterprise add-ons and phone support, Mon-Fri 9:30-17:00 CET.

• Premium

  €15.95

  Per user / month on a one-year term, from 100 users. Adds the Premium Enterprise add-ons, remote hands and installation and upgrade assistance.

• Corporate

  On request

  From 250 users. Adds the Corporate Enterprise add-ons, openDesk and OpenID Connect for Nextcloud Hub, a dedicated support engineer, custom plugin support and onboarding training.

Best For

• Technology
• Architecture & Engineering

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