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.
Jira is a proprietary issue tracking product developed by Atlassian that allows bug tracking and agile project management.
Free for up to 10 users; paid plans from about $7.75/user/month.
- Completely free and open‑source
- Self‑hosted for full data control
- Simple, intuitive UI
- Active community support
- Powerful and configurable
- Strong agile support
- Scales to enterprise
- Big ecosystem
- 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 complex/heavy
- Configuration overhead
- Overkill for tiny teams
What reviewers say
Wekan Reviews
No reviews yet.
Jira Reviews
4.5 (4)Solid choice
Tried Jira recently. Big ecosystem. No real complaints. Would recommend.
Recommend Jira
We rolled out Jira last quarter. Strong agile support. No real complaints. Would recommend.
Decent with caveats
We rolled out Jira last quarter. Upside: scales to enterprise. Downside: configuration overhead.
More alternatives & similar tools
Alternatives to Wekan
View all →Alternatives to Jira
View all →The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataJira offers a powerful, enterprise‑grade agile platform with extensive ecosystem but at a cost and complexity; Wekan provides a free, simple kanban tool that’s self‑hosted and lightweight.
Key differences
- •Pricing model: Jira freemium then paid per user vs. Wekan completely free.
- •Deployment: Jira is cloud SaaS; Wekan requires self‑hosting.
- •Feature depth: Jira includes Scrum, advanced roadmaps, reporting; Wekan focuses on basic kanban boards.
- •Ecosystem: Jira integrates with many Atlassian products and third‑party apps; Wekan has limited native integrations.
- •Support: Jira offers commercial support options; Wekan relies on community support.
Pricing & value
Wekan is free; Jira charges per user after 10 users, adding ongoing cost.
Ease of use / learning curve
Wekan’s simple UI is intuitive; Jira’s extensive configuration can be complex for new teams.
Features & depth
Jira provides Scrum boards, advanced roadmaps, reporting, and customizable workflows; Wekan offers basic kanban only.
Integrations & ecosystem
Jira benefits from a large Atlassian ecosystem and many third‑party integrations; Wekan has limited native integrations.
Collaboration
Jira includes real‑time updates, issue tracking, and role‑based permissions at enterprise scale; Wekan provides real‑time board updates but fewer collaboration features.
Scalability
Jira scales to large enterprises with robust admin controls; Wekan is designed for small teams and may not handle enterprise load.
Support
Jira offers commercial support options; Wekan relies on community support only.
Choose Wekan if…
Small teams or freelancers wanting a free, self‑hosted kanban board with minimal setup.
Choose Jira if…
Large or growing software teams needing Scrum, advanced reporting, and enterprise support.
Common questions
Is there any cost to use Wekan?
No, Wekan is free and open‑source.
Can Jira be self‑hosted?
Not specified; the facts list only cloud/SaaS deployment.
Which tool supports Scrum methodology?
Jira supports Scrum boards and advanced agile features; Wekan only provides basic kanban.