head to head · open source
onedev vs Backlog.md
onedev has 15,257 GitHub stars, 979 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped today. Backlog.md has 6,787 stars, 427 forks, 55 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. onedev leads on adoption by 125% (15,257 vs 6,787 stars). onedev is written in Java under MIT; Backlog.md is written in TypeScript under MIT. onedev has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Backlog.md 6%. onedev 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
| onedev | Backlog.md | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 6.8K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 979 | ⑂ 427 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick onedev if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- 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 onedev
OneDev is a self hosted, MIT licensed development platform written in Java that unifies Git hosting, code review, issue tracking, Kanban boards, service desk, time tracking, packages, and CI/CD in one system, aimed at teams that run the whole development lifecycle on their own infrastructure.
read the full onedev 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 onedev or Backlog.md more popular?
onedev has 15,257 GitHub stars and Backlog.md has 6,787. onedev has the larger community by that measure.
Are onedev and Backlog.md free?
Both are open source. onedev is licensed under MIT and Backlog.md under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between onedev and Backlog.md?
onedev is written in Java 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, onedev or Backlog.md?
Choose onedev if you want the larger community (15,257 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Backlog.md if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.