If you’re looking to move off Asana, you have options. Real ones. Here are the 3 open-source, self-hostable alternatives I’ve tested, with honest notes on what each does well and where each falls short.
Why leave Asana?
- Free tier caps at 15 users and hides most useful views.
- Paid tiers start at $10.99/user/mo and scale aggressively.
- Data export options are limited — hard to leave once entrenched.
The 3 best self-hosted alternatives to Asana
OpenProject
The enterprise-grade choice. Gantt charts, time tracking, wikis.
Visit OpenProject website →Quick comparison
| Alternative | Difficulty | License |
|---|---|---|
| OpenProject | Medium | GPL-3.0 |
| Vikunja | Easy | AGPL-3.0 |
| Kimai | Medium | AGPL-3.0 |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Asana?
Yes. Every tool listed above is free and open source. Some, like OpenProject, also have optional paid hosted tiers if you don’t want to run the server yourself. Everything else is genuinely free to self-host — you pay only for your own hardware and time.
Which one should I pick if I’ve never self-hosted anything before?
Start with Vikunja. It’s the lowest-friction option here — realistic to have running in an afternoon on a small server or Raspberry Pi. If it doesn’t fit your workflow, Vikunja is a good second try.
Can I run these on a Raspberry Pi?
Most of them, yes — the tools marked Easy here will comfortably run on a Pi 4 or Pi 5 with 4GB+ of RAM. The Medium tools may work but appreciate a mini PC or a spare desktop. Hard-tagged tools generally want real server hardware.
What about mobile apps?
It varies. Tools like Vaultwarden and Immich have native iOS/Android apps that connect to your server. Others rely on the web UI through your phone browser — fine for occasional use, not a full app experience.