All three tools are open source and self-hostable, but each targets a different sweet spot: Huly bundles issue tracking with docs, chat, and video for a…
freemium · From Free (cloud); paid plans from EUR 5/month
Best for: Agile teams that specifically run Scrum ceremonies, such as backlog grooming and sprint planning, and want that structure available open source.
At a Glance
Huly
Kanboard
Taiga
Primary category
Project Management
Project Management
Project Management
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Open Source
freemium
Starting price
Free
Free
Free (cloud); paid plans from EUR 5/month
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Yes
Not documented
Standout Differences
Fully open source and self-hostable
Huly, Kanboard, and Taiga can all be deployed on a team's own infrastructure at no licensing cost, making them fits for privacy- or cost-conscious teams.
Huly, Kanboard, Taiga
All-in-one workspace
Huly combines issue tracking, docs, chat, and video conferencing into a single connected data model rather than requiring separate tools.
Huly
Minimalist single-board simplicity
Kanboard offers one configurable kanban board per project with automation rules, without the broader collaboration modules the other two include.
Kanboard
Purpose-built Scrum backlog and sprints
Taiga provides dedicated backlog management, sprint planning, and epics specifically for teams running formal Scrum workflows.
Taiga
Official managed cloud as an alternative to self-hosting
Huly and Taiga both offer vendor-run hosted plans for teams that want the software without managing servers; Kanboard relies on third-party hosts instead.
Huly, Taiga
Feature-by-Feature
Deployment
Feature
Huly
Kanboard
Taiga
Self-hosted deployment option
Available
Available
Available
Free self-hosting with no license fee
Available
Available
Available
Agile Planning
Feature
Huly
Kanboard
Taiga
Scrum backlog and sprint planning
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Epics for roadmap-level grouping
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Collaboration Modules
Feature
Huly
Kanboard
Taiga
Built-in docs, chat, or video
Available
Not documented
Not documented
Event-triggered task automation
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Managed Cloud Pricing
Feature
Huly
Kanboard
Taiga
Official vendor-hosted cloud plan
Available
Unavailable
Available
Free cloud tier
Available
Unavailable
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Huly
Common — Free N/A
Rare — $19.99/month monthly, flat rate
Epic — $99.99/month monthly, flat rate
Legendary — $399.99/month monthly, flat rate
Kanboard
Self-Hosted (Open Source) — Free N/A
Managed Hosting (third-party) — From approximately $14/month monthly
Taiga
Free — EUR 0 N/A
Enthusiast — EUR 5/month (EUR 50/year) Monthly or annual
Basic — EUR 20/month (EUR 200/year) Monthly or annual
Premium — EUR 60/month (EUR 600/year) Monthly or annual
Taiga Private Cloud — Custom quote Custom
On Premise — Custom quote Custom
Pros & Cons
Huly
Pros
Fully open source and self-hostable at no licensing cost
Combines issue tracking, docs, chat, and video in one connected tool
Unlimited users and objects on every plan, including free
Flat monthly pricing on hosted tiers rather than per-seat fees
Native GitHub integration for two-way issue and PR sync
Smaller company and community than Linear, Jira, or Notion
Hosted cloud availability has been in flux as the company shifts focus toward self-hosting
UI and feature depth in each module (docs, chat, video) can lag best-in-class single-purpose tools
Documentation and third-party integration ecosystem are less mature than larger competitors
Kanboard
Pros
Completely free and open source with no feature paywalls
Lightweight PHP/SQLite stack is cheap and easy to self-host on modest hardware
Simple, distraction-free interface with a low learning curve
Full data ownership since nothing is stored on a vendor's servers
Extensible via a public API and community plugin ecosystem
Cons
No official cloud-hosted version from the maintainer, so self-hosting is required for zero cost
Development pace has slowed as the project sits in maintenance mode
Lacks built-in real-time collaboration features like chat or video calls
Mobile experience is a responsive web view rather than dedicated native apps
Requires basic server administration knowledge to install, secure, and back up
Taiga
Pros
Fully open source with a genuinely free self-hosted option
Purpose-built for agile Scrum and Kanban workflows
Affordable cloud pricing compared to many commercial project management tools
Approachable interface for both developers and non-technical team members
Active open-source community and regular updates
Cons
Free cloud tier has very limited storage and project count
Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing maintenance
Smaller ecosystem of integrations than large commercial tools like Jira
Premium support tiers require the higher-priced cloud or private cloud plans
Company size and roadmap resources are limited compared to venture-backed competitors
Use Cases
Choose Huly: Teams wanting an open-source all-in-one workspace that replaces several separate SaaS tools.
Choose Kanboard: Developers who want the simplest, lightest self-hosted kanban board with no feature paywalls.
Choose Taiga: Agile teams that specifically run Scrum ceremonies, such as backlog grooming and sprint planning, and want that structure available open source.
Huly
Software development project management — Engineering teams track issues, sprints, and pull requests in one tool tied directly to docs and chat.
Startup all-in-one workspace — Small teams replace several separate SaaS subscriptions (issue tracker, docs, chat, video) with one connected platform.
Self-hosted, privacy-conscious deployments — Organizations that must keep data on their own infrastructure self-host the full open-source stack.
Kanboard
Solo developer task tracking — A developer self-hosts Kanboard on a home server or VPS to track personal coding projects without paying for a SaaS subscription.
Small technical team workflow — A small engineering or IT team runs Kanboard behind their VPN to manage sprints and support tickets with LDAP-based single sign-on.
Privacy-conscious project management — Organizations with strict data residency or compliance requirements self-host Kanboard to keep all task data on infrastructure they control.
Taiga
Agile software development — Run Scrum sprints or Kanban workflows for software teams tracking user stories and bugs.
Open-source project management — Coordinate contributors and issues for open-source community projects using a free, self-hostable tool.
Self-hosted internal project tracking — Deploy Taiga on internal infrastructure for organizations with data residency or budget constraints.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these three is purpose-built for Scrum?
Taiga, which offers a dedicated backlog, sprint planning, and epics alongside its Kanban board, unlike Huly and Kanboard, which do not document Scrum-specific ceremonies.
Are all three free to self-host?
Yes. Huly, Kanboard, and Taiga are all open source and can be self-hosted at no licensing cost, though each has different server requirements.
Does Kanboard offer an official cloud version?
No. Kanboard has no vendor-run cloud plan; teams that do not want to self-host can use third-party managed hosting providers instead.
Which tool bundles chat and video calls with task tracking?
Huly, which includes native instant messaging and audio and video conferencing rooms alongside its issue tracker and docs.
What license is each tool released under?
Huly uses the EPL-2.0 license, Kanboard uses the permissive MIT License, and Taiga is released under AGPL-3.0-or-later.
Which tool has automation rules for moving tasks between statuses?
Kanboard, through its automatic actions that trigger on events like a task moving columns or changing color, without needing external workflow tools.