head to head · open source
OpenProject vs Kan
OpenProject has 16,933 GitHub stars, 3,676 forks, 224 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Kan has 5,868 stars, 528 forks, 135 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenProject leads on adoption by 189% (16,933 vs 5,868 stars). OpenProject is written in Ruby under GPL-3.0; Kan is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. OpenProject has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, Kan 9%. OpenProject 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
| OpenProject | Kan | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 5.9K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Ruby | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 528 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenProject if
- You weight community size — 17K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Kan if
- You want the Kan feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Kan fits your workflow better
About OpenProject
OpenProject We empower teams to achieve great things together for the good of society. OpenProject is a web based open source project management software for teams and organizations that require transparency, flexibility, and data sovereignty. Manage projects, portfolios, products, tasks, bugs, agile workflows, roadmaps, and team collaboration in a single platform. OpenProject can be self hosted and is designed for organizations looking for an open source enterprise ready alternative to tools such as Jira, MS Project, Monday, Asana, YouTrack while maintaining full control over their data and infrastructure…
read the full OpenProject overview →
About Kan
Kan The open source project management alternative to Trello. Roadmap · Website · Docs · Discord Features 💫 👁️ Board Visibility : Control who can view and edit your boards 🤝 Workspace Members : Invite members and collaborate with your team 🚀 Trello Imports : Easily import your Trello boards 🔍 Labels & Filters : Organise and find cards quickly 💬 Comments : Discuss and collaborate with your team 📝 Activity Log : Track all card changes with detailed activity history 🎨 Templates : Save time with reusable custom board templates ⚡️ Integrations (coming soon) : Connect your favourite tools See our roadmap for…
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenProject or Kan more popular?
OpenProject has 16,933 GitHub stars and Kan has 5,868. OpenProject has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenProject and Kan free?
Both are open source. OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kan under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenProject and Kan?
OpenProject is written in Ruby and Kan 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, OpenProject or Kan?
Choose OpenProject if you want the larger community (16,933 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Kan if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.