Leantime, Teamwork, and YouTrack all offer a free tier, but they target different teams: Leantime is a free, self-hostable open-source tool built with…
Open Source · From Free (self-hosted); Cloud Pro from $8/user/month billed annually
Best for: Small teams, including neurodivergent-friendly teams, that want a free, self-hostable open-source project management tool with built-in strategic planning features.
freemium · From Free for up to 10 users; paid Cloud plans from about $3.67 per user per month billed annually
Best for: Software and cross-functional teams that want JetBrains-backed issue tracking with a full-featured free plan for up to 10 users.
At a Glance
Leantime
Teamwork
YouTrack
Primary category
Project Management
Project Management
Project Management
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Open Source
freemium
freemium
Starting price
Free (self-hosted); Cloud Pro from $8/user/month billed annually
Free (paid plans from $9.99/user/month billed yearly)
Free for up to 10 users; paid Cloud plans from about $3.67 per user per month billed annually
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Yes
Not documented
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Standout Differences
Built for Neurodivergent Workflows
Leantime is explicitly designed with ADHD and neurodivergent-friendly workflows in mind, alongside strategic planning tools like Lean Canvas and SWOT that go beyond a typical task board.
Leantime
Client Billing Baked In
Teamwork bundles time tracking, budgeting, and client invoicing directly into its project management core, a combination most competitors sell as separate tools.
Teamwork
A Free Plan With No Feature Cliff
YouTrack's free tier supports up to 10 users with the complete feature set on Cloud or Server, rather than a stripped-down trial version of the paid product.
YouTrack
Self-Hosting Is Only Possible With Two of the Three
Leantime and YouTrack both offer self-hosted deployment options for teams that want full data control, while Teamwork is a SaaS-only platform.
Leantime, YouTrack
Feature-by-Feature
Core Planning
Feature
Leantime
Teamwork
YouTrack
Kanban board
Available
Available
Available
Gantt or timeline view
Available
Available
Available
Collaboration and Knowledge
Feature
Leantime
Teamwork
YouTrack
Built-in time tracking
Available
Available
Available
Knowledge base or project wiki
Available
Not documented
Available
AI and Automation
Feature
Leantime
Teamwork
YouTrack
AI-assisted task or issue features
Limited
Available
Available
Deployment and Access
Feature
Leantime
Teamwork
YouTrack
Self-hosted deployment option
Available
Unavailable
Available
Free plan with full feature access
Available
Available
Available
Client billing and invoicing
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Leantime
Community Edition (Self-Hosted) — Free N/A
Cloud Pro (Monthly) — $10/user/month monthly
Cloud Pro (Annual) — $8/user/month annual
Enterprise — Custom pricing annual
Teamwork
Free — $0 monthly
Basics — From about $9.99/user/month billed yearly (monthly billing also available at a higher rate)
Accelerate — From about $24.99/user/month billed yearly (monthly billing also available at a higher rate)
Optimize — Custom annual contract
Enterprise — Custom annual contract
YouTrack
Free — $0 n/a
Cloud (11+ users) — From about $3.67/user/month annual (monthly available at a higher rate)
Server (self-hosted) — Contact JetBrains for current pricing annual license
Pros & Cons
Leantime
Pros
Fully free, unrestricted open-source self-hosted edition under AGPLv3
Explicit design focus on neurodivergent and ADHD-friendly workflows
Affordable Cloud pricing relative to mainstream project management SaaS
Active open-source community and Discord support
Cons
Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing server maintenance
AI features and some advanced tools (strategy, program management) are Cloud-only, not in open source
Smaller ecosystem of integrations compared to Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com
Enterprise pricing is not published and requires contacting sales
Younger company (founded 2022) with a smaller support team than larger competitors
Teamwork
Pros
Combines project management with native time tracking and invoicing, reducing the need for separate billing tools
Strong fit for agencies and client-services teams managing many concurrent projects and budgets
Multiple project views (Gantt, board, list, table) suit different planning styles on the same data
Resource and capacity planning tools help prevent team over-allocation
Generous free tier for very small teams to evaluate the platform
Cons
Per-user pricing can get expensive for larger teams once advanced features are needed
Some advanced features such as CRM integration and multi-currency budgeting are locked behind custom-priced Optimize and Enterprise tiers
Automation actions are capped by plan, which can be limiting for heavy automation users on lower tiers
Interface has a learning curve for teams new to full-featured project management software
Mobile app is generally reported as less capable than the desktop web experience
YouTrack
Pros
Free plan for up to 10 users includes the complete feature set, not a limited trial version
Highly flexible workflow and custom field engine suits teams outside pure software development, including HR and marketing
Combines issue tracking, Gantt planning, knowledge base and HelpDesk in one tool, reducing the need for separate systems
AI-assisted features like text-to-issue and summarization can reduce manual ticket-writing overhead
Backed by JetBrains, a long-established developer tools company with deep integration into its broader ecosystem
Cons
Recent price increase (effective October 2025) raises costs for teams above 10 users after years of stable pricing
Keyboard-centric, feature-dense interface can have a steeper learning curve than simpler task tools
Less brand recognition among non-technical teams compared to Jira or Asana
Self-hosted deployment requires more setup and maintenance effort than a pure SaaS competitor
Use Cases
Choose Leantime: Small teams, including neurodivergent-friendly teams, that want a free, self-hostable open-source project management tool with built-in strategic planning features.
Choose Teamwork: Agencies and client-services teams that need project management combined with time tracking, budgeting, and client billing in one system.
Choose YouTrack: Software and cross-functional teams that want JetBrains-backed issue tracking with a full-featured free plan for up to 10 users.
Leantime
Self-hosted PM for developer teams — Technical teams deploy the free open-source edition on their own infrastructure to avoid per-seat SaaS costs.
ADHD-friendly project management — Neurodivergent freelancers and small teams use Leantime's goal-based workflows to reduce overwhelm compared to traditional task-list tools.
Startup strategy and planning — Early-stage startups use the built-in Lean Canvas and SWOT tools alongside task management to plan and execute strategy in one place.
Teamwork
Agency client delivery — Agencies use Teamwork.com to plan client projects, track billable hours against budgets, and invoice clients directly from tracked time.
Software and IT consultancy delivery — Consultancies track project scope, resource allocation, and profitability across multiple concurrent client engagements.
Internal cross-functional project management — Teams use Gantt and board views to plan internal initiatives, track dependencies, and manage team capacity without client billing.
YouTrack
Software development issue tracking — Engineering teams track bugs, features and sprints using Scrum and Kanban boards integrated with time tracking.
Cross-functional project management — HR, marketing and operations teams use custom fields and workflows to manage non-engineering projects in the same tool.
Customer and internal support ticketing — Teams use the built-in HelpDesk module to manage support requests alongside engineering issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of Leantime, Teamwork, or YouTrack is free to use?
Leantime's self-hosted Community Edition is free and unrestricted under an AGPLv3 license. Teamwork offers a free plan for up to 5 users and 5 projects, and YouTrack offers a free plan for up to 10 users with the complete feature set.
Can any of these three be self-hosted?
Leantime and YouTrack both support self-hosted deployment, Leantime through its open-source Community Edition and YouTrack through its Server edition. Teamwork is only available as a hosted SaaS product.
Which tool is best suited to agencies that bill clients for their time?
Teamwork is purpose-built for this, combining project views with native time tracking, budgeting, and client invoicing in one system. Neither Leantime nor YouTrack documents built-in client billing features.
Do Leantime, Teamwork, and YouTrack all include AI features?
All three document some AI capability: Leantime offers AI-powered task management on its Cloud plans, Teamwork includes Teamwork AI, and YouTrack offers AI text-to-issue conversion and a writing assistant.
Which is the better fit for a general software engineering team versus an agency?
YouTrack leans toward software and cross-functional engineering teams with its issue-tracking roots at JetBrains, while Teamwork is built specifically around client-facing agency work. Leantime sits in between, aimed at teams of any type that want a free, strategy-focused planning tool.