WeKan

Open source alternative to Trello, Linear and Jira

21.1K stars
MIT
Active this week
Last commit 1 day ago

Last verified Oct 20, 2026

Run private Kanban boards with Trello import, access controls, and self-hosted task workflows for teams moving off Trello or Linear.

Visit website GitHub21.1K 1-click deploy on Hostinger

Read the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs and the FAQ

who it's for

Who WeKan is for#

Operations teams running private boards

Use WeKan for hiring pipelines, editorial calendars, procurement, or support triage where a visual board is enough and data should stay internal.

Skip if:

Skip if you need advanced dependency management, time tracking, or executive reporting across many projects.

Schools and volunteer groups coordinating tasks

Self-hosted boards let non-profits and education groups organize work without recurring SaaS seats for every participant.

Skip if:

Skip if your group needs a hosted tool with no server administrator.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Small teams often outgrow sticky notes but do not need a heavy project management suite. Trello keeps boards simple, but every card, comment, checklist, and attachment lives in a vendor account, and per-seat pricing can become hard to justify for internal operations, schools, or volunteer groups.

The core pain is control: teams need private boards that non-technical users understand, while administrators need predictable hosting, backups, and access rules.

how WeKan solves it

How it solves it#

Kanban boards with swimlanes

Organizes work into boards, lists, swimlanes, cards, labels, checklists, comments, and due dates so teams can model a practical Trello-style workflow.

Trello import path

Supports importing existing Trello boards, which lowers migration friction for teams moving private operations out of a SaaS account.

Multiple deployment paths

The project documents Docker, Snap, and other server install options, giving operators a choice between a containerized install and host-level packages.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Simple board modelWeKan keeps the workflow centered on cards moving through lists, which works for non-technical operations teams that do not want issue-tracker ceremony.
MIT licensed self-hostingThe MIT license and self-hosted server option let teams run boards internally without paying per user or accepting SaaS data residency constraints.

Trade-offs

-Limited enterprise workflow depthWeKan is strongest as a private Kanban board. Teams that need portfolio planning, advanced automation, or deep analytics may still prefer Jira, Asana, or Linear.

versus alternatives

WeKan vs alternatives#

WeKan vs Trello

WeKan and Trello both organize work around boards, lists, and cards. The main choice is whether you want a managed SaaS workspace or a self-hosted board system.

Criteria	WeKan	Trello
License	MIT	Proprietary
Self-hosting	Yes	No
Best fit	Private Kanban boards	Hosted team boards with many integrations

WeKan is the better choice when board data needs to stay on your infrastructure or when per-seat pricing is hard to justify. Trello is still better when your team wants the lowest-maintenance hosted path and depends on Trello Power-Ups.

tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages: JavaScriptPython
Databases: MongoDB
Infrastructure: AWS

frequently asked

FAQ#

Is WeKan open source?

Yes. WeKan is open source under the MIT license.

Can WeKan replace Trello?

WeKan can replace Trello for straightforward Kanban boards, card comments, labels, checklists, and self-hosted team workflows. Trello remains stronger for hosted convenience and its larger integration marketplace.

Can I self-host WeKan?

Yes. WeKan documents self-hosted installation paths including Docker and Snap.

Looking for more

Other ways to replace Trello, Linear and Jira#

GitLab

#1 in the Linear guide

Teams on GitLab for code hosting

24,535

OpenProject

#2 in the Linear guide

Teams needing Scrum boards, Gantt charts, and time tracking

16,508

Taiga

#3 in the Linear guide

Agile teams wanting Scrum sprints without enterprise overhead

385

Gitea

#4 in the Linear guide

Small teams wanting lightweight git hosting and issue tracking

58,588

All 13 Linear alternatives 8 open source Linear alternatives, ranked

by category

Open source tools in these categories#

106

Hostinger

Run WeKan on your own server

Hostinger sets WeKan up as a one-click app on a VPS.

Deploy on Hostinger

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Who WeKan is for#