Asana and Monday.com per-user costs add up fast for freelancers. Open source project tracking offers a different path: full control, no licensing fees, complete data ownership. Here’s what’s actually usable for freelancers who want to self-host or use community instances.
Why Open Source Matters for Freelancers
Vendor lock-in is a real risk. Move all your projects to Asana, then Asana raises prices 40%. You’re stuck. Open source avoids this. If a tool changes direction or gets expensive, you can fork it, switch to another project, or host your own version.
Cost is obvious. Open source is free. You might pay for hosting or support, but no per-user licensing. A team of 3 costs the same as a team of 30: nothing.
Data ownership. Your project data lives in your database, not Asana’s servers. This matters if you handle sensitive client work or need HIPAA or GDPR compliance. You control access and backups.
The trade-off: setup is harder. You handle installation, updates, and maintenance. If that sounds like a headache, stick with managed tools.
Plane: Modern, Lightweight, Growing
Plane is the newest open source project tracker. Built with a modern stack (React, PostgreSQL), it feels current compared to older open source tools. Handles issues, sprints, cycles, and simple portfolio views.
For freelancers, Plane works if you track projects as “cycles” and work as “issues.” The interface is intuitive and needs minimal setup. Plane offers a free cloud tier (plane.so), so you can try it without hosting it yourself.
Strengths: Modern UI, easy setup, growing community. Weaknesses: Fewer integrations than Asana, limited reporting.
OpenProject: Full-Featured, Heavier
OpenProject is the most comprehensive open source project manager. Handles Gantt charts, Kanban boards, sprints, resource allocation, time tracking. If you need advanced scheduling or team capacity planning, OpenProject covers it.
The trade-off: it’s heavier and more complex. Setup needs more configuration. The UI is functional but less polished than Plane or Asana. Better for teams managing complex projects than solo freelancers with simple work.
OpenProject offers a free community cloud instance, so you can try without hosting it yourself.
Taiga: Agile-Focused, Declining
Taiga was built for agile teams using Scrum and Kanban. Powerful for sprint planning but less useful for freelancers with non-standard project structures.
Update: Taiga’s development has slowed and the community is smaller. It still works, but new projects lean toward Plane and OpenProject.
Wekan: Kanban-Only, Simple
Wekan is an open source Trello clone. Simple Kanban boards, drag-and-drop cards, basic checklists. If you just need a visual workflow board, Wekan is lightweight and runs anywhere.
Not a full project tracker. Won’t handle timelines, resource allocation, reporting. But for freelancers who just want to see tasks visually, Wekan works.
Focalboard: Notion-Like, Flexible
Focalboard is an open source Notion alternative. Database tables, views, relations, properties. Less mature than Notion but offers Notion-like flexibility without the cost.
For freelancers who want a tracker that feels like a workspace, Focalboard is worth trying. Free community instances are available.
The Hosting Question
Self-hosting means setting up a server, installing the tool, managing backups, handling updates. This is possible if you’re technical or willing to learn. Docker makes it simpler than traditional server setup.
Or use the free cloud tiers and community instances many open source projects now offer:
- Plane: free cloud at plane.so
- OpenProject: free community cloud
- Focalboard: free community instances
These skip the hosting hassle and let you try open source without DevOps skills.
Open Source vs. Freelance-Specific Tools
Waco3 is a closed-source tool built for freelancers’ proposal-to-invoice workflow. Open source project trackers are general-purpose. If you need to manage client work from proposal through invoicing, Waco3 handles it linearly. If you need to track detailed project tasks and Gantt charts, OpenProject wins.
They solve different problems. Open source is stronger for complex project tracking. Waco3 is stronger for client communication and proposal analytics.
Practical Recommendation
If you’re comfortable with Docker and self-hosting, start with Plane. If you want cloud hosting without setup, try Plane’s free cloud tier or OpenProject’s community cloud.
If self-hosting feels overwhelming, stick with Asana or Monday.com. The convenience is worth the per-user cost for most freelancers.
Open source makes sense when you have a strong technical reason (GDPR compliance, lock-in fear, specific integrations) or when you’re a team that can share hosting and maintenance work.
Open source project tracking trades setup burden for cost and control. Only worth it if you value one of those more than simplicity.
Related: Discover all-in-one freelance tools that bundle project tracking with proposals and invoicing.
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