Wekan vs Focalboard
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Wekan is a web‑based, open‑source kanban board that lets you organize tasks, projects, and workflows in a visual, drag‑and‑drop interface. It can be self‑hosted on your own server, giving you full control over data and customization. Designed for small teams and freelancers, Wekan offers a lightweight yet powerful way to track progress, assign responsibilities, and collaborate in real time without any licensing costs.
Focalboard is a project management and organization tool that allows users to create boards, lists, and cards to track their work. It's designed to be flexible and customizable, with features like drag-and-drop card movement and customizable workflows. Focalboard is built on top of the Mattermost platform, which means it integrates seamlessly with Mattermost's team messaging and collaboration features.
- Completely free and open‑source
- Self‑hosted for full data control
- Simple, intuitive UI
- Active community support
- Highly customizable and flexible
- Integrates well with Mattermost team messaging and collaboration platform
- Self-hosted, so you have full control over your data
- Open-source, so you can customize and extend the platform
- Limited native integrations compared to commercial tools
- No official mobile apps, only responsive web
- Feature set may require manual configuration for advanced workflows
- Can be overwhelming for small teams or simple projects
- Requires technical expertise to set up and customize
- Limited mobile app support
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The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataBoth Wekan and Focalboard are free, open‑source, self‑hosted kanban tools, but Wekan offers a simpler UI for small teams, while Focalboard provides deeper customization and Mattermost integration for development‑focused groups.
Key differences
- •Wekan has a very minimal UI and fewer built‑in integrations; Focalboard includes Mattermost, GitHub, and GitLab connectors.
- •Focalboard’s workflow customization and @mention/comment features are richer than Wekan’s basic card fields.
- •Wekan’s community support only; Focalboard adds optional email support.
- •Focalboard is built in TypeScript with 26k+ GitHub stars versus Wekan’s JavaScript base and 21k stars.
Pricing & value
Both are free, open‑source with self‑hosting; no licensing cost for either.
Ease of use / learning curve
Wekan’s simple, intuitive UI is aimed at small teams and freelancers, requiring less setup than Focalboard.
Features & depth
Focalboard offers customizable workflows, @mentions, commenting, and tighter Mattermost integration, exceeding Wekan’s basic kanban features.
Integrations & ecosystem
Focalboard lists native Mattermost, GitHub, GitLab integrations; Wekan only provides generic webhooks/API.
Collaboration
Focalboard includes collaborative @mentions and comments; Wekan relies on card assignments and labels only.
Scalability
Both self‑hosted solutions can scale with appropriate infrastructure; no specific limits disclosed.
Support
Focalboard offers community plus email support; Wekan provides community support only.
Security & privacy
Both are self‑hosted, giving full data control; no differing security features are specified.
Migration / lock‑in
Wekan can export boards as JSON for easy migration; Focalboard migration options not specified.
Choose Wekan if…
Small teams or freelancers needing a quick, low‑maintenance kanban board.
Choose Focalboard if…
Development‑oriented groups that want deep customization and Mattermost integration.
Common questions
Is there any cost to use either tool?
Both are free, open‑source products with no licensing fees.
Which tool integrates with my existing CI/CD platforms?
Focalboard lists native GitHub and GitLab integrations; Wekan only offers generic webhooks/API.
Can I export my board data for backup or migration?
Wekan provides JSON export; Focalboard’s export capabilities are not specified.