head to head · open source
Leantime vs Backlog.md
Leantime has 11,612 GitHub stars, 1,131 forks, 328 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. Backlog.md has 6,787 stars, 427 forks, 55 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Leantime leads on adoption by 71% (11,612 vs 6,787 stars). Leantime is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0; Backlog.md is written in TypeScript under MIT. Leantime has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Backlog.md 6%. Backlog.md 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
| Leantime | Backlog.md | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 6.8K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | PHP | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-07 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 427 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Leantime if
- You weight community size — 12K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- 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 Leantime
Leantime is an open source project management system in the Business Software / Project & Work Management category, written in PHP and licensed under AGPL 3.0. It is aimed at non project managers and combines strategy, planning, and execution in one place. The project describes itself as built with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia in mind.
read the full Leantime 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 Leantime or Backlog.md more popular?
Leantime has 11,612 GitHub stars and Backlog.md has 6,787. Leantime has the larger community by that measure.
Are Leantime and Backlog.md free?
Both are open source. Leantime is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Backlog.md under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Leantime and Backlog.md?
Leantime is written in PHP 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, Leantime or Backlog.md?
Choose Leantime if you want the larger community (11,612 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Backlog.md if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.