head to head · open source
Backlog.md vs agentrq
Backlog.md has 6,787 GitHub stars, 427 forks, 55 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. agentrq has 1,123 stars, 80 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped today. Backlog.md leads on adoption by 504% (6,787 vs 1,123 stars). Backlog.md is written in TypeScript under MIT; agentrq is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Backlog.md has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, agentrq 7%. agentrq was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (agentic-ai), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Backlog.md | agentrq | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.8K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 427 | ⑂ 80 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Backlog.md if
- You weight community size — 6.8K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick agentrq if
- You want the agentrq feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and agentrq fits your workflow better
About Backlog.md
Backlog.md is a Markdown native task manager and Kanban visualizer that turns any folder into a self contained project board. It lives in the Git ecosystem, written in TypeScript and released under the MIT license, and it is distributed as a zero config CLI alongside a terminal board and a local web interface. Every task is stored as a plain .md file inside the repository, so the project ledger travels with the code and remains readable to humans, teams, and AI agents alike.
read the full Backlog.md overview →
About agentrq
AgentRQ is a self hosted, Apache 2.0 human in the loop task manager that gives human operators and AI agents one shared workspace over the Model Context Protocol, aimed at people who run their own Claude subscriptions or any agent harness with ACP support.
read the full agentrq overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Backlog.md or agentrq more popular?
Backlog.md has 6,787 GitHub stars and agentrq has 1,123. Backlog.md has the larger community by that measure.
Are Backlog.md and agentrq free?
Both are open source. Backlog.md is licensed under MIT and agentrq under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Backlog.md and agentrq?
Backlog.md is written in TypeScript and agentrq in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Backlog.md or agentrq?
Choose Backlog.md if you want the larger community (6,787 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose agentrq if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.