head to head · open source
Backlog.md vs lotti
Backlog.md has 6,787 GitHub stars, 427 forks, 55 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. lotti has 1,175 stars, 119 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped today. Backlog.md leads on adoption by 478% (6,787 vs 1,175 stars). Backlog.md is written in TypeScript under MIT; lotti is written in Dart under GPL-3.0. Backlog.md has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, lotti 10%. lotti 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 | lotti | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.8K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 427 | ⑂ 119 |
| 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 lotti if
- You want the lotti feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and lotti 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 lotti
Lotti is an open source, end to end encrypted logbook for individuals who want a private, local first record of the work they actually did, staffed by persistent AI agents that read what is recorded and propose the next change for the user to approve.
read the full lotti overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Backlog.md or lotti more popular?
Backlog.md has 6,787 GitHub stars and lotti has 1,175. Backlog.md has the larger community by that measure.
Are Backlog.md and lotti free?
Both are open source. Backlog.md is licensed under MIT and lotti under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Backlog.md and lotti?
Backlog.md is written in TypeScript and lotti in Dart. 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 lotti?
Choose Backlog.md if you want the larger community (6,787 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose lotti if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.