# Best open source project management software > The best open source project management tool is Gitea, with 58,319 GitHub stars, the MIT license and a Docker image; Plane and Gogs are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Gitea leads for startups, small business, enterprise and freelancers. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 26 apps in the project management category of the appsgit catalog. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What is the best open source project management tool? | | Picks | 25 | | Top pick | Gitea (58,319 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-project-management | ## Top picks 10 of the 26 apps in the project management category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Gitea](https://appsgit.com/apps/gitea) (58,319 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Gitea has 58,319 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,696 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab. - [Plane](https://appsgit.com/apps/plane) (60,414 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Plane has 60,414 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 678 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. - [Gogs](https://appsgit.com/apps/gogs) (47,859 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Gogs has 47,859 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 225 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab. - [GitLab](https://appsgit.com/apps/gitlab) (24,555 stars, MIT, Ruby, Docker): GitLab has 24,555 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,397 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub Actions / CircleCI. - [Huly](https://appsgit.com/apps/huly) (27,835 stars, EPL-2.0, TypeScript, Docker): Huly has 27,835 GitHub stars, uses the EPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 668 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. - [OpenProject](https://appsgit.com/apps/openproject) (16,321 stars, GPL-3.0, Ruby, Docker): OpenProject has 16,321 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 16,144 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. - [OneDev](https://appsgit.com/apps/onedev) (15,281 stars, MIT, Java, Docker, AI features): OneDev has 15,281 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 608 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab. - [Leantime](https://appsgit.com/apps/leantime) (11,730 stars, AGPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Leantime has 11,730 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 678 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. - [Kaneo](https://appsgit.com/apps/kaneo) (9,348 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): Kaneo has 9,348 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,636 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira. - [Octobox](https://appsgit.com/apps/octobox) (4,486 stars, AGPL-3.0, Ruby, Docker): Octobox has 4,486 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 685 commits in the last year. ## Best for startups and freelancers Ranked for startups and freelancers (the same order for each) on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Gitea](https://appsgit.com/apps/gitea) (58,319 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Gitea has 58,319 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,696 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Plane](https://appsgit.com/apps/plane) (60,414 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Plane has 60,414 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 678 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Gogs](https://appsgit.com/apps/gogs) (47,859 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Gogs has 47,859 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 225 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [GitLab](https://appsgit.com/apps/gitlab) (24,555 stars, MIT, Ruby, Docker): GitLab has 24,555 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,397 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub Actions / CircleCI. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Huly](https://appsgit.com/apps/huly) (27,835 stars, EPL-2.0, TypeScript, Docker): Huly has 27,835 GitHub stars, uses the EPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 668 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. ## Best for small business Ranked for small business on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides. - [Gitea](https://appsgit.com/apps/gitea) (58,319 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Gitea has 58,319 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,696 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab, and appsgit has a step-by-step deploy guide for it. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website, a commit in the last 90 days and an appsgit deploy guide. - [GitLab](https://appsgit.com/apps/gitlab) (24,555 stars, MIT, Ruby, Docker): GitLab has 24,555 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,397 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub Actions / CircleCI, and appsgit has a step-by-step deploy guide for it. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website, a commit in the last 90 days and an appsgit deploy guide. - [Plane](https://appsgit.com/apps/plane) (60,414 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Plane has 60,414 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 678 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Gogs](https://appsgit.com/apps/gogs) (47,859 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Gogs has 47,859 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 225 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Huly](https://appsgit.com/apps/huly) (27,835 stars, EPL-2.0, TypeScript, Docker): Huly has 27,835 GitHub stars, uses the EPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 668 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. ## Best for enterprise Ranked for enterprise on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Gitea](https://appsgit.com/apps/gitea) (58,319 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Gitea has 58,319 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,696 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Plane](https://appsgit.com/apps/plane) (60,414 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Plane has 60,414 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 678 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Gogs](https://appsgit.com/apps/gogs) (47,859 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Gogs has 47,859 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 225 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Huly](https://appsgit.com/apps/huly) (27,835 stars, EPL-2.0, TypeScript, Docker): Huly has 27,835 GitHub stars, uses the EPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 668 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [GitLab](https://appsgit.com/apps/gitlab) (24,555 stars, MIT, Ruby, Docker): GitLab has 24,555 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,397 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub Actions / CircleCI. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. ## How this list was made - Candidates: the 26 apps in the project management category. Archived projects and projects with no commit in the last two years are left out. - Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000). - Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - Each "Best for" section re-ranks the same apps with that audience's profile (for example startups add points for permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits; small business for Docker images and deploy guides). - Source-available apps can rank, but they are labelled and never described as open source. ## FAQ ### Is Gitea free? Yes. Gitea is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan. ### Which open source project management tool is best for a startup? Gitea ranks first for startups, with 58,319 GitHub stars, the MIT license and a Docker image; Plane and Gogs follow. The startups ranking adds points for Docker images, permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits on top of stars and activity. ### Which open source project management tool is best for a small business? Gitea ranks first for small business, with 58,319 GitHub stars, the MIT license and a Docker image; GitLab and Plane follow. The small business ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides on top of stars and activity. ### Can I self-host these project management software with Docker? Yes, all of them. Gitea, Plane and Gogs publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. ### Are all of these project management software open source? All 10 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license. ## Related questions - [What is the best open source helpdesk and ticketing system?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-helpdesk) - [What is the best open source task manager?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-task-management) - [What is the best open source CI/CD tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-ci-cd-tools) - [What is the best open source budgeting app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-budgeting-software) - [What is the best open source CMS?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-cms) - [What is the best open source team chat app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-team-chat) - [What is the best open source file sharing app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-file-sharing) - [What is the best open source wiki?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-wikis) ## See also - [All project management apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/project-management) - [All helpdesk & ticketing apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/helpdesk-ticketing) - [All task management apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/task-management) - [Open-source alternatives to GitHub](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/github) - [Open-source alternatives to GitLab](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/gitlab) - [Open-source alternatives to Docker Hub](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/docker-hub) - [Open-source alternatives to GitHub Actions / CircleCI](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/github-actions) - [Open-source alternatives to Jira](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/jira) - [Open-source alternatives to Asana](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/asana) - [Gitea vs GitLab](https://appsgit.com/compare/gitea-vs-gitlab) - [Gitea vs Gogs](https://appsgit.com/compare/gitea-vs-gogs) - [How to self-host Gitea with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/gitea) - [How to self-host GitLab with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/gitlab) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-project-management Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly. Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.