Overview

OpenProject is web-based project management software for classic, agile, and hybrid work. It suits organizations that want project planning and team collaboration alongside a choice between self-managed and hosted deployment. Its strongest case is the combination of open-source software, substantial Community features, and deployment control; paid tiers make less sense for small teams because they start at 25 users.

Key features

Project plans and Gantt charts give teams a timeline-based view of work, while agile boards support Scrum and Kanban organization and progress tracking. The Community edition also includes work packages, meetings, calendars, a project overview, and time tracking, making the free tier more than a bare planning tool.

OpenProject lists integrations for Nextcloud, OneDrive, SharePoint, GitHub, GitLab, and XWiki. Community-built options include Excel synchronization, Slack notifications, a Thunderbird add-on, and time-tracking plugins. That mix covers collaboration and development tools, though teams should check that their particular workflow is served by the listed integrations.

Organizations can run OpenProject on premises or use Enterprise Cloud. Self-managed installation options include DEB and RPM packages, Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm charts, which gives technical teams several routes to fit it into existing infrastructure. Security features include two-factor authentication, LDAP sync, salted bcrypt password storage, and role-based access controls. For its cloud service, OpenProject says data is encrypted in transit with TLS/HTTPS and at rest with AES-256, with continuous backups. Its GPL v3 license and on-premises option make data sovereignty a central strength, especially for organizations with privacy or security requirements.

Pricing

OpenProject uses a freemium model, with a free plan and a 14-day trial. Community costs 0.00 EUR per free, has no minimum user count, and includes Community features and Community support. It is the practical starting point for teams that can work with the Community feature set and do not require paid support.

Paid tiers are billed per user per month and impose minimum seats, so the entry price is not the cost for a small team:

Basic: 5.95 EUR per month, billed per user per month, with a 25-user minimum. It adds Basic Enterprise add-ons and email support; best for organizations large enough to meet the minimum that need those additions and support.
Professional: 10.95 EUR per month, billed per user per month, with a 25-user minimum. Professional Enterprise add-ons and phone support suit teams that need a higher support level.
Premium: 15.95 EUR per month, billed per user per month, with a 100-user minimum. It includes Premium Enterprise add-ons, remote hands, and installation and upgrade assistance, making it oriented toward larger organizations seeking operational help.
Corporate: custom pricing, with a 250-user minimum.

Community avoids seat minimums but provides community support; every paid tier raises the commitment through a substantial user floor. That tradeoff favors larger organizations over small teams seeking a modest paid upgrade.

Platforms

OpenProject supports web access, an API, Linux, and self-hosted deployment. The range is especially relevant to teams that want to integrate project work into their stack or operate the software on their own infrastructure.

Who it's for

OpenProject is a strong fit for organizations combining traditional planning with Scrum or Kanban, particularly those prioritizing open source, collaboration, and control over where project data is hosted. Security-sensitive teams can choose on-premises deployment behind their firewall. Teams that need paid support should weigh the 25-user minimum for Basic and Professional, or the 100-user minimum for Premium, against their actual scale.

Pros and cons

Pro: The Community edition bundles Gantt charts, work packages, agile boards, meetings, calendars, and time tracking at no charge, giving teams a broad base without a paid seat threshold.
Pro: Self-managed deployment, including Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm options, supports organizations that need infrastructure control.
Pro: Security controls and stated cloud encryption address identity and data-protection concerns, while on-premises hosting offers another route for sovereignty-focused teams.
Con: Paid plans start at 25 users, making even the lowest paid tier a poor fit for smaller teams seeking email support or Enterprise add-ons.
Con: Premium requires 100 users and Corporate 250, limiting the practical reach of the higher support tiers.

Alternatives

For a different balance of team size, deployment, or project focus, consider Linear, Tuleap, Oracle Primavera Cloud, Planview AdaptiveWork, Asana, ClickUp, monday.com, or Wrike.

Linear is worth considering for teams wanting a free tier with unlimited members, two teams, and 250 issues across web, mobile, and desktop platforms. Tuleap is another freemium, self-hosted option with Linux and API support; its commercial plan is quote-based and can be tailored to user count, hosting, and support needs. Oracle Primavera Cloud is a paid alternative with hosted named-user services priced at 12.00 USD per month for Progress Cloud Service and 55.00 USD per month for Task Management Cloud Service.

Planview AdaptiveWork has custom pricing through an account executive. Asana may suit one or two people managing personal projects: its Personal plan is free forever, limited to two users and 100 MB per file. ClickUp offers a free tier with unlimited tasks and members, but 60MB storage and one form. monday.com’s free tier is capped at two seats, three boards, three Docs, 200 items, and 500 MB storage. Wrike’s free plan allows unlimited users but caps each account at 200 active tasks and 2 GB storage.

Readers comparing categories can also browse IT Project Management Software, Game Project Management Software, Work Management Software, Agile Project Management Software, Issue Tracking Software, and Project Management Software.

Verdict

Choose OpenProject if your organization needs classic and agile planning in one system and values open-source software, self-hosting, or data sovereignty. Its free Community edition is unusually complete for a starting point. Look elsewhere if you need paid support for a small team: the 25-user floor for Basic and Professional is the clearest constraint.

	OpenProject	Pancake
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	€5.95/mo	$149/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, Linux, self-hosted, Web	Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Automation rules	Yes	—
Time tracking	Yes	—
Guest access	Yes	—
Native integrations	6 integrations	—

OpenProject vs Pancake

OpenProject

Pancake