10 open source software solutions for your project management [Sélection 2024]
![10 open source software solutions for your project management [Sélection 2024]](https://media.appvizer.com/articles/42298115/cover/com/cover-picture_w329.webp)
A good project management tool is usually the key to successful project management. But you don't know which software to use. 😮💨
Between free, paid and open source software, it can be hard to find your way around.
The good news is that, while we don't have the answers set in stone, we do have 8 open source project management references (+ 2 alternatives), with their strengths, advantages and selection criteria, to help you see things a little more clearly.
To complete our list, we've also added a short list of must-have and alternative open source project management tools.
Top 10 open source project management software
1 of 10
 Bitrix24 |  Gitlab |  Odoo |  OrangeScrum |  OpenProject |  ProjeQtOr |  Redmine |  Tuleap |  Asana |  Trello |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For all companies | For all companies | For all companies | For all companies | For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about Bitrix24 | Learn more about Gitlab | Learn more about Odoo | Learn more about OrangeScrum | Learn more about OpenProject | Learn more about ProjeQtOr | Learn more about Redmine | Learn more about Tuleap | Learn more about Asana | Learn more about Trello |
Open source tools for your project management
Bitrix24
Software promise
Bitrix24 is designed to improve collaboration, communication and task management in companies of all sizes.
Key features
- Integrated CRM and project management,
- real-time communication tools such as chat, video calls and e-mail,
- document and file management,
- shared calendars and event planning,
- project planning and tracking with Gantt,
- team collaboration,
- time management and reporting,
- integrated CRM.
Highlights
- Integration of project management with CRM provides an overview of customer interactions and ongoing projects.
- Bitrix24 offers a complete collaborative platform with internal and external management tools.
Pricing
- Free for teams of up to 12 users,
- Paid plans start at €36 per month for larger teams. (Price as of May 2024)
Bitrix24
GitLab
Software promise
GitLab is more than a release manager: it's a complete DevOps platform, designed to accelerate the product development cycle, from planning to monitoring, while ensuring collaboration and transparency between teams.
Key features
- Integrated source code and CI/CD management,
- issue tracking and agile project management,
- code review and branch management
- application monitoring, compliance and security,
- test and deployment automation,
- performance monitoring,
- project-integrated wiki,
- DORA metrics,
- portfolio management,
- checklists.
Highlights
- GitLab offers an all-in-one solution that facilitates cross-team collaboration without the need for additional tools.
- It puts a premium on security, with security features built in right from the start of development.
- Its open model and active community contribute to continuous improvement of the platform.
Pricing
- A free version is available for groups of 5 people with small projects (5 GB storage, 10 GB transfer...).
- For a more complete version, you'll need to pay at least €27/month per user. (Price as of May 2024)
Gitlab
Odoo
Software promise
Odoo is an integrated ERP suite offering business management solutions, including project management, with exceptional flexibility and modularity.
Key functionalities
- project management, CRM and accounting,
- inventory and purchasing management
- business process automation,
- integrated marketing tools,
- customizable dashboards,
- time tracking and analysis,
- team communication,
- customized reports,
- lead automation.
Key strengths
- Odoo stands out for its modularity, enabling companies to customize the application to their business processes.
- Odoo's open source community is one of the largest and most active, providing a wide range of complementary modules.
- CRM capabilities are a real plus (complete history, address book, customer preferences, etc.).
Pricing
- Free version for a single application and a limited number of users, ideal for small entities.
- More comprehensive versions cost a minimum of €20/month (price as of May 2024).
Odoo
Orangescrum
Software promise
Orangescrum facilitates project management and collaboration for distributed teams, with a focus on simplicity and clarity.
Key features
- Task management and project planning,
- time tracking and resource management,
- Kanban boards and Gantt charts,
- workload visualization
- detailed project reports,
- invoicing functionality,
- customizable notifications and alerts,
- integration with Slack, Dropbox and Google Drive,
- risk management.
Highlights
- Orangescrum is renowned for its intuitive user interface and customizable dashboard, making project management accessible to all.
- It offers specific add-ons to enhance management capabilities according to users' needs.
Pricing
- A free version is available for small entities and one user, with :
- up to 3 projects,
- unlimited tasks and sub-tasks,
- basic dashboard,
- limited reporting, etc.
- For more comprehensive versions, and depending on the number of users, expect to pay a minimum of €47 per month (price as of May 2024).
OrangeScrum
OpenProjet
Software promise
OpenProject enables efficient project management for your teams, whether in classic, agile or hybrid mode, all in a secure environment.
In particular, it offers on-premise hosting on your own infrastructure, so you retain full control and ownership of your data.
Key features
- Task management, including breakdown into objectives or milestones,
- choice of project view for product roadmap (Scrum, Kanban),
- bug tracking,
- requirements management,
- document management,
- interactive Gantt tool,
- supports (wiki, forum),
- meeting management,
- time and cost tracking,
- integration of all stakeholders in project monitoring.
Key strengths
- Allows management of multiple projects, based on team collaboration and communication throughout the project lifecycle.
- The top priority given to data security is a reassuring safeguard against security flaws, which are common in the open source world.
- Its community is international, passionate and very active, made up of developers and companies.
Price
- There is a free edition (Community), a cloud edition (from €27 per month) and an Enterprise edition.
- General Public License (GNU). (Price as of May 2024)
OpenProject
ProjeQtOr, quality-oriented
Software promise
ProjeQtOr was originally an open source project management solution developed to manage IT projects, but it can now be adapted to all types of project, teams and companies.
This comprehensive solution is quality-oriented and easy to use (installation, configuration, operation). It covers the full range of functionalities required for project planning.
Key functionalities
- Planning: monitoring of milestones and activities, calculation of capacity planning,
- management of tickets, allocations and resources, notably with the Kanban board,
- identification of the critical path on the Gantt chart,
- monitoring of requirements and tests,
- risk management and alerts,
- management of meetings, deliverables, etc,
- expense and budget tracking,
- active international community,
- highly responsive support,
- constantly evolving, history of updates.
Strong points
- Feature-rich, its interface may look complex at first glance, but the tool is highly configurable and adaptable to your users' needs.
- User profile-based access management lets you configure the menus and data visible to different collaborators.
- The software can be installed locally or used in SaaS (cloud) mode. Online, you can upgrade its functionalities with plug-ins.
Price
- Free of charge.
- The download version provides unlimited access to all functions (AGPL license).
ProjeQtOr
Redmine, product-oriented
Redmine has long been a reference on the market, and its long history has enabled its community to build a very complete tool, which can be enriched thanks to numerous extensions.
It is mainly used by developers and agile teams using the Scrum method.
Key features
- Multi-project management,
- user group management,
- integrated support tools (wiki, forum),
- unlimited field creation and customization,
- roadmap management,
- a discussion forum for each project,
- calendars, burndown charts and Gantt charts to visualize project progress,
- activity history and time management,
- an advanced notification system,
- document management.
Highlights
- Redmine is also a highly appreciated multi-channel ticketing tool for IT support and product roadmap follow-up.
- Apart from title, description and number, all other fields can be customized and filtered. Tickets can concern requests for action relating to a project.
- The number of users is unlimited, while a secure login and password are guaranteed.
Price
- Free (GNU GPL license).
- Redmine also offers a paid version for more complex projects, in the form of a cloud extension, with Easy Redmine, from 58 euros per month for 25 users.
Redmine
Tuleap
Software promise
Tuleap is an open source project management platform that promotes Agile, traditional and hybrid working methods. It aims to improve collaboration, efficiency and transparency within software development teams.
Key features
- Agile management,
- artifact tracking,
- continuous integration,
- test management,
- release planning,
- source code tracking (Git)
- collaboration and documentation.
Key strengths
- Tuleap is adapted to a variety of working methodologies, enabling teams to choose the one best suited to their project.
- As an open source solution, Tuleap enables extensive customization to meet specific team needs.
- Benefits from an active community of developers who regularly contribute to the platform's evolution.
Pricing
- Tuleap is available from €13 per month per user for the standard myTuleap version (price as of May 2024).
Tuleap
Must-have open source alternatives
Asana
Asana is a work management platform that helps teams coordinate and manage their tasks and projects with advanced features.
These tools include :
- calendar view to keep track of deadlines
- file view to centralize documents
- progress view to monitor task progress,
- custom fields and checklists,
- Gantt chart,
- automatic status updates,
- mobile and web application,
- templates and grouped actions,
- AI assistance, etc.
Adopting this platform enables companies to achieve significant time savings.
👉 It ensures that every team member remains well-informed about plans, processes and deadlines, contributing to a noticeable increase in productivity and long-term communication.
What's more, Asana stands out for its ability to integrate with many other tools, such as Zapier and Jira. Its automatic synchronization with the Google calendar offers greater fluidity and consistency in the day-to-day management of activities.
💸 At what price? While a free version exists for small teams (max. 10 people), expect to pay at least €10/month for the basic version. (Price as of May 2024)
Asana
Trello
Trello, used by companies of all types worldwide, stands out as one of the most widely recognized project management software packages.
Its interface is organized around three main components:
- tables, representing projects ;
- vertical lists, which facilitate tracking of task progress through categories such as "to do", "in progress" and "done";
- cards, which embody these tasks.
What makes Trello particularly attractive to many professionals is its ergonomic user interface, which is both simple to use and easy to master.
Despite its simplicity, Trello offers a full range of features, including :
- deadline management,
- comments,
- attachments,
- different project views,
- checklists,
- workflow automation,
- templates and integrations, etc.
💸 How much does it cost? Trello offers subscriptions starting at €3 per month per user. A free version is also available, offering basic functionality for a small team (up to 10 users). (Price as of May 2024)
Trello
FAQ : Let's go back to the basics of open source
What is open source?
Open source refers to software whose source code is made available to the public, allowing anyone to consult, modify, improve and redistribute it.
This development model is based on open collaboration between developers and users, and is founded on the principles of transparency, collaboration and community.
Is open source free?
Open source is often associated with free software, but this is not always the case.
The term "open source" refers to the availability of source code and the freedom to modify and redistribute software, but not necessarily to its cost.
Are there any advantages to open source?
The main advantage of open source software is that it is highly configurable and scalable, to suit your needs as closely as possible.
But under the guise of being free or low-cost, it can involve high hidden costs, particularly in terms of hosting and maintenance work.
What's the best open source software?
The best software is the one best suited to your business and your needs!
If the tool you select matches the complexity of your projects and your in-house IT skills, then you've found the best software! 👏
Our selection criteria
To prepare this comparison of open source project management software, we took into account :
- open source character, of course,
- the software's reputation,
- functional richness, in particular :
- task allocation,
- task filtering,
- definition of deadlines,
- document sharing,
- integrated communication tools (chat, comments, etc.),
- access control,
- multiple methods and views, such as Kanban, Gantt, etc,
- added value proposition, whether in terms of interoperability with other software or complementary functionalities,
- interface ergonomics, which is not often the strong point of open-source software, due to the contribution of multiple developers, some of them volunteers,
- the presence of an active community, providing potential support, but above all helping the tool to evolve with new technologies,
- the price: free, paid, answer D?
☝️ Software is listed in alphabetical order, and all versions are available online.
In our directory, you'll find other references in online project management, whether open source or not.
Our latest tips for choosing your software
Project management concerns companies of all sizes, from the moment they have teams with mission assignments, a budget and deadlines to meet. Increasingly agile and collaborative, project management requires the right tools and the right expertise.
If you're looking for an open source solution for :
- its open code, which makes it a flexible tool that can be adapted to your business needs and changes in your company ;
- the fact that you don't have to buy a license, and its community nature, particularly for sharing knowledge around its development;
and if you have the skilled resources in-house (an IT department) to modify and adapt the code and carry out the necessary updates, open source project management software may be the solution of choice.
But if you're looking for a free project management tool, if that's why you're turning (like others) to open source, you should know that free software isn't really free, since you have to :
- sometimes host it on your own servers ;
- often pay for access to the full version and all its features;
- always spend time on updating, maintenance and technical support.
Should you take the plunge into open source project management?
Choosing the right project management software is essential for optimizing the coordination and monitoring of activities within your company.
Whether you opt for an open source solution or recognized alternatives, the important thing is to select a tool that not only meets the specific requirements of your projects, but also the culture and capabilities of your team.
Take the time to test these tools, assess their impact on your day-to-day operations, and consult your team for an informed choice tailored to your needs. 💪
Article translated from French