head to head · open source
qinglong vs Backlog.md
qinglong has 20,061 GitHub stars, 3,227 forks, 108 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Backlog.md has 7,245 stars, 479 forks, 55 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. qinglong leads on adoption by 177% (20,061 vs 7,245 stars). qinglong is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; Backlog.md is written in TypeScript under MIT. qinglong has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, Backlog.md 7%. qinglong was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (task-manager), 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
| qinglong | Backlog.md | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 20K | ★ 7.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.2K | ⑂ 479 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick qinglong if
- You weight community size — 20K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- 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 qinglong
青龙 简体中文 English 支持 Python3、JavaScript、Shell、Typescript 的定时任务管理平台 Timed task management platform supporting Python3, JavaScript, Shell, Typescript [![npm version][npm version image]][npm version url] [![docker pulls][docker pulls image]][docker pulls url] [![docker stars][docker stars image]][docker stars url] [![docker image size][docker image size image]][docker image size url] [npm version image]: [npm version url]: [docker pulls image]: [docker pulls url]: [docker stars image]: [docker stars url]: [docker image size image]: [docker image size url]: Demo / Issues / Telegram Channel / Buy Me a Coffee 演示 / 反馈 /…
read the full qinglong overview →
About Backlog.md
Backlog.md Markdown‑native Task Manager & Kanban visualizer for any Git repository AI agents write the code. You review the tasks: before, during, and after. npm i g backlog.md Backlog.md turns any folder into a self‑contained project board powered by plain Markdown files and a zero‑config CLI. Why Backlog.md in the AI era AI agents can now produce more plausible code in an hour than you can carefully read in a day. The bottleneck is no longer writing code. It's your attention. You can't meaningfully review 15,000 generated lines in one sitting, but you can read a screenful of task specs with acceptance criteria…
read the full Backlog.md overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is qinglong or Backlog.md more popular?
qinglong has 20,061 GitHub stars and Backlog.md has 7,245. qinglong has the larger community by that measure.
Are qinglong and Backlog.md free?
Both are open source. qinglong is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Backlog.md under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between qinglong and Backlog.md?
qinglong is written in JavaScript 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, qinglong or Backlog.md?
Choose qinglong if you want the larger community (20,061 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Backlog.md if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.