Looking for recommendations on project management software
Hey everyone! I need help finding a good self-hosted project management solution. Currently using JIRA but it feels way too heavy for my personal development work. Since we use it at the office, I got used to it, but now I want something lighter that I can run on my own server.
Must-have features:
Support for organizing multiple projects
Board-based task management (like Kanban)
Ability to track versions and deadlines
I started testing OpenProject recently but wanted to ask this community first. What other options should I consider before making my final choice?
Been there. Spent way too much time setting up self-hosted tools until I figured out I was tackling the wrong problem.
You don’t need another tool to manage - you need to automate the whole workflow so tracking just happens.
I built something that creates tasks from git commits, updates project status from deployment pipelines, and syncs with my calendar. No more manual board updates or missed deadlines.
Works with any backend since automation does the work. Kanban boards update themselves, version tracking happens when you tag releases, deadline reminders just fire.
Took one weekend to build, saves me 5 hours weekly. The automation platform makes connecting everything dead simple.
Switched from JIRA to Taiga two years ago - best decision ever. Way cleaner interface and handles Kanban boards without all that JIRA bloat. Setup was dead simple compared to other tools I’ve tried. Milestone tracking nails version management and deadlines perfectly. You should also check out Plane - it’s newer but feels modern and runs fast. Tried Redmine briefly but the UI looks ancient (though it’s rock solid if you can live with that). Both Taiga and Plane use way less system resources than OpenProject.
Running Wekan for 18 months now - handles everything you need without the bloat. Takes 10 minutes to set up in Docker and hasn’t given me any issues since. Interface is dead simple (boards, lists, cards) but gets project organization done. Use custom fields for version tracking, due dates are already there. Uses way less resources than the heavy alternatives. Vikunja’s also solid if you want something between basic tasks and full project management. Both work well, but Wekan wins for handling multiple projects.
kanboard’s seriously underrated. it’s lightweight, handles kanban boards perfectly, and the multi-project support works great. i’ve been running it for 6 months with zero issues. takes 15 minutes to set up, and while the ui isn’t pretty, it gets the job done without all that jira bloat you’re talking about.