head to head · open source
Kaneo vs Backlog.md
Kaneo has 9,134 GitHub stars, 800 forks, 70 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Backlog.md has 6,787 stars, 427 forks, 55 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Kaneo leads on adoption by 35% (9,134 vs 6,787 stars). Kaneo is written in TypeScript under MIT; Backlog.md is written in TypeScript under MIT. Kaneo has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Backlog.md 6%. Kaneo was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| Kaneo | Backlog.md | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.1K | ★ 6.8K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 800 | ⑂ 427 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Kaneo if
- You weight community size — 9.1K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Backlog.md if
- You want the Backlog.md feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Backlog.md fits your workflow better
About Kaneo
Kaneo is an open source project management tool for development teams, published under the MIT license and written in TypeScript. It describes itself as "all you need, nothing you don't," and its README frames the design goal around restraint: the project's authors argue that the problem with most project management platforms is not a lack of features but an excess of them, where notifications, unnecessary buttons and complex workflows pull teams away from building products. Kaneo belongs to the self hosted project and work management ecosystem, and its topic list places it explicitly alongside issue trackers and…
read the full Kaneo overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Kaneo or Backlog.md more popular?
Kaneo has 9,134 GitHub stars and Backlog.md has 6,787. Kaneo has the larger community by that measure.
Are Kaneo and Backlog.md free?
Both are open source. Kaneo is licensed under MIT and Backlog.md under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Kaneo and Backlog.md?
Kaneo is written in TypeScript and Backlog.md in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Kaneo or Backlog.md?
Choose Kaneo if you want the larger community (9,134 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Backlog.md if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.