head to head · open source
Backlog.md vs kandev
Backlog.md has 6,787 GitHub stars, 427 forks, 55 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. kandev has 815 stars, 123 forks, 116 open issues and last shipped today. Backlog.md leads on adoption by 733% (6,787 vs 815 stars). Backlog.md is written in TypeScript under MIT; kandev is written in Go under AGPL-3.0. Backlog.md has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, kandev 15%. kandev 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Backlog.md | kandev | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.8K | ★ 815 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 427 | ⑂ 123 |
| 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 kandev if
- You want the kandev feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and kandev 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 kandev
Kandev is an open source AI Kanban and development environment written in Go and licensed under AGPL 3.0. It lives in the developer tools and agentic AI ecosystem, providing a control plane for coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Devin, and Qwen.
read the full kandev overview →
More in Business Software
Related comparisons
More Project & Work Management projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Project & Work Management field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Backlog.md or kandev more popular?
Backlog.md has 6,787 GitHub stars and kandev has 815. Backlog.md has the larger community by that measure.
Are Backlog.md and kandev free?
Both are open source. Backlog.md is licensed under MIT and kandev under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Backlog.md and kandev?
Backlog.md is written in TypeScript and kandev 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 kandev?
Choose Backlog.md if you want the larger community (6,787 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose kandev if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.