Wekan, Kanboard, Kan and Planka are the tools people actually mean when they search for an open source Trello alternative. Each one is free to install on a server you control, with a Trello-style board and no per-seat licence. One of the four is not actually open source, despite showing up in most "open source Trello alternatives" lists, and that distinction matters if licensing is the reason you are looking in the first place.
The real open source options
These four cover the range from closest-to-Trello to most self-hosting-averse.
| Tool | License | Hosting | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wekan | MIT | Self-hosted only (Docker, Snap, Sandstorm) | The closest match to Trello's own interface, with a direct board import |
| Kanboard | MIT | Self-hosted only | Native WIP limits and a query-language search, in a dated interface |
| Kan | AGPL-3.0 | Self-hosted, or a free tier on kan.bn | An MCP server built in, so an AI client can read and move cards |
| Planka | Fair Use License (Community edition) | Self-hosted, with a paid Pro upgrade in place | Real caveat below: it is source-available, not open source |
Wekan is the one that looks and behaves the most like Trello, down to swimlanes and a Trello import. Kanboard is the plainest of the four and the only one with work-in-progress limits built into the board itself, not bolted on as a plugin. Kan is the newest, built with an MCP server so an AI assistant can query and update boards directly, and it offers kan.bn as a hosted option if you decide self-hosting is not worth it after all.
Planka is where the "open source" label gets loose. Checked directly against its GitHub repository in September 2026: the Community edition runs under a Fair Use License, described in the project's own README as "source available," not one of the OSI-approved open source licenses the other three use. Pro and Enterprise are commercial tiers that upgrade an existing install in place. That is a legitimate product, and plenty of roundups list it as open source anyway, which is the kind of detail worth checking before you commit a weekend to installing something on the strength of a label that turns out not to apply.
What self-hosting actually costs
The software itself is free in all four cases. Running it is not. At minimum, self-hosting means a server, someone who applies security updates when they ship, a backup routine you have tested by actually restoring it once, and being the person who gets paged when the board goes down before a Monday standup.
For a developer who already runs other self-hosted services, that cost is close to zero, since the server and the habits already exist. For a two-person agency or a non-technical founder, it is a second job that arrived uninvited, stacked on top of the project management the tool was supposed to simplify.
Do you actually need to self-host?
The honest test is what is really driving the search. Data residency, a compliance requirement, or a policy against third-party hosting means self-hosting is the actual requirement, and Wekan, Kanboard or Kan is the right call. If the real complaint is Trello's per-seat pricing once a team passes ten collaborators, or a Power-Up you want without paying for a higher tier, "open source" was shorthand for "something free that I control," and self-hosting was never the requirement.
That second group is who a free, no-signup board answers directly: no account to create, no per-seat bill to grow into, and native WIP limits like Kanboard's, without a server to patch. See how the two compare directly on EasyKanban vs. Trello, or read the fuller feature and pricing breakdown if Trello itself is still on the table. EasyKanban makes no open source claim at all, which keeps it out of the running for the first group, but it is a faster answer for the second one than provisioning a server for software they were only going to run once.
Frequently asked questions
Is Trello open source?
No. Trello is proprietary software owned by Atlassian. Nothing about its source code is published, which is exactly why searches for an open source alternative exist in the first place.
Which open source tool looks the most like Trello?
Wekan. It uses the same board and card layout, supports swimlanes, and can import an existing Trello board directly. Kanboard and Kan both rearrange the interface more, in exchange for features Trello does not have, so Wekan is the pick when familiarity matters more than anything else.
Is Planka actually open source?
Not by the usual definition. Its Community edition runs under a Fair Use License, which the project itself calls source-available rather than open source. Pro and Enterprise are commercial add-ons on top of that.
Can I move my Trello board into EasyKanban instead of self-hosting?
Yes. EasyKanban imports a Trello JSON export or a CSV file directly when you create a board, so switching does not mean re-creating every card and column by hand. Wekan and Kan offer a similar Trello import if you choose a self-hosted tool instead, so the board itself is portable either way.
Do I need to self-host to get work-in-progress limits?
No. Kanboard builds WIP limits into the board itself, and EasyKanban's free plan does the same without a server to run. Self-hosting buys data control, not the WIP limit feature specifically, so it is worth separating that reason from the others before picking a tool.
Try it without the server
Start with three columns: To Do, Doing, Done. Move a handful of real cards through them for a week before deciding whether you need Wekan's Trello-shaped interface, Kanboard's WIP limits, Kan's AI hooks, or nothing self-hosted at all.
EasyKanban is a free, minimal kanban board with unlimited cards on the free plan, WIP limits, and a Trello import that skips the manual re-entry. Pro adds unlimited boards, board history and export, with no self-hosting required either way.
Try EasyKanban Free →References and Further Reading:
- Wekan on GitHub - source, deployment options and license
- Kanboard - documentation and the WIP limit feature