OpenProject Alternatives (2026): 9 Project Planning Tools

Running your own project tool is OpenProject's selling point, and it's also a second job.

When you host it yourself, you own the upgrades, the backups and the security patches. Several of the tools below work the same way, so switching won't remove that job unless you pick a hosted tool. The nine options are in no particular order and grouped by shape: open-source suites, a kanban board, Gantt and scheduling tools, and one business suite with a project module. Many are small projects, so read the notes on maintenance before you commit.

Control versus upkeep: the self-hosting question

Before you compare features, decide who'll run the thing. If you've got someone who already looks after servers and is happy to, an open-source tracker gives you control over data, access and upgrades. If nobody wants that job, a hosted Gantt tool trades some control for convenience.

Either way, look at each project's recent release activity and who maintains it before you commit a team, because a small project can slow down when its maintainers move on. That's not a reason to avoid small projects. It's a reason to check, and to make sure you can export your data if you ever need to leave.

All nine OpenProject alternatives, A to Z

GanttPRO

Best for: Planners who want online Gantt charts for anything from simple tasks to complex projects, with a quick sign-up the vendor highlights.

Leantime

Best for: Teams with ADHD, ADD or other neurodivergent members, from an open-source project that roots its people-first design in behavioural science, by its own description.

Odoo Project

Best for: Businesses already on the open-source Odoo suite that want a project app with kanban views, which the vendor now pitches as AI-native.

ProjectLibre

Best for: Planners moving off Microsoft Project who need to open existing project files, with cloud project management added on top, as the vendor describes it.

Redmine

Best for: Technical teams wanting an open-source project manager and issue tracker that runs on multiple platforms and databases.

Taiga

Best for: Agile software teams that want a free, open-source tool with a self-hosted option, built to keep agile project management simple and intuitive.

TeamGantt

Best for: Teams that want drag-and-drop Gantt charts keeping staff and clients on the same live schedule, with the vendor promising a real schedule by the end of the day.

Tuleap

Best for: Software organisations wanting agile management and development in one lifecycle platform, with an auditable open-source core and access control set by project and role.

WeKan

Best for: Small teams wanting an open-source, privacy-focused kanban they can customise, with many boards for different projects, each with its own stages.

Open-source suites and trackers

Redmine is open source, cross-platform and cross-database, with issue tracking at its core, which makes it a natural fit for technical teams. Tuleap aims at software organisations, combining agile management and development in one lifecycle platform with access control by project and role.

Taiga keeps the focus on agile teams and offers a self-hosted option. Leantime takes a different angle: it's designed for people with ADHD, ADD and other neurodivergent ways of working, which is an unusual brief for a project tool and worth a look if your team has struggled with dense planning screens.

A board instead of a plan

WeKan is an open-source kanban with boards, columns and cards. If your team never opened the Gantt view in OpenProject anyway, a board may be all you need. My guide to kanban tools covers more board options, and my Plane alternatives list looks at newer open-source trackers.

Gantt charts and Microsoft Project files

ProjectLibre's own page says Microsoft announced it was retiring Project Online, and the tool pitches itself as a direct replacement for Microsoft Project that opens existing project files. That makes it the one to check if your plans started life in Microsoft's software.

Two hosted Gantt tools take a lighter route. GanttPRO covers simple tasks through to complex projects, while TeamGantt keeps your team and your clients looking at the same live schedule. Both take the server work off your hands, in exchange for less say over where your data lives and when upgrades happen.

A project module inside a business suite

Odoo Project is a project app with kanban views inside the wider open-source Odoo suite. It makes most sense if you already run, or plan to run, other parts of that suite, because the project data then sits next to everything else. If you only want project management, a whole suite is more than you need. For a broader comparison, see my project management tools for small teams.

How the nine compare in one table

Tool	Shape	Good for
GanttPRO	Online Gantt chart software	Planning simple tasks through to complex projects
Leantime	Open-source project management	Neurodivergent teams and people-first planning
Odoo Project	App inside a business suite	Teams already using the Odoo suite
ProjectLibre	Microsoft Project replacement	Opening existing Microsoft Project files
Redmine	Open-source issue tracker	Technical teams wanting a flexible tracker
Taiga	Open-source agile tool	Agile teams who want a self-hosted option
TeamGantt	Online Gantt scheduling	Sharing one live schedule with clients
Tuleap	Agile and software lifecycle suite	Audit trails and access set by project and role
WeKan	Open-source kanban board	Privacy-minded teams who think in boards

My advice if you're moving off OpenProject

Be honest about why you're leaving. If the problem is upkeep, moving to another self-hosted tool just moves the same work, so pick a hosted Gantt tool instead. If the problem is the interface or the way your team plans, stay open source and try a tool with a different shape: a board for a team that thinks in tasks, a lifecycle suite for software teams. And if your plans came from Microsoft Project, test file import first, because that decides everything else.

Pilot one project with dependencies

1. Pick a real project with a few dependencies and a fixed deadline.
2. Rebuild it in each shortlisted tool, including the links between tasks.
3. Move a deadline and watch what happens to everything that depends on it.
4. Ask the people doing the work to update their own tasks for a week.
5. Export the plan and check you can read it back, so you aren't locked in.

One project with real dependencies will show you more than a feature grid, and your team will tell you quickly which tool they'll keep using.

Do you make project management or Gantt software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Frequently asked questions

Are these OpenProject alternatives free?

Several are open source and free to download and host. Hosting still takes time and server resources, and the hosted Gantt tools in the list offer trials rather than free plans.

Which tool opens Microsoft Project files?

One tool in the Gantt group says it opens existing Microsoft Project files. Test with one of your own files before you rely on it.

Is self-hosting more secure?

It gives you more control, not automatic security. You're responsible for patches, backups and access, so it's only more secure if someone does that work.

Can I import my OpenProject data?

Check each tool's import options and test with one project. Expect tasks to move across more cleanly than comments, attachments and custom fields.

Do I need Gantt charts at all?

Not every team does. If your work is a stream of tasks rather than a dated plan, a kanban board is simpler to keep up to date.

Is this list of project tools ranked?

No. The tools are in no particular order and grouped by shape.