Plane, at plane.so, is an open-source, AI-native project management platform positioned as an alternative to Jira, Linear, Asana and ClickUp. It was founded in late 2022 by brothers Vamsi Kurama and Vihar Kurama, operating out of Hyderabad, India and a US entity in Delaware/San Francisco.
Note for buyers: this is a different company from Plane at plane.com, a global payroll and HR platform founded independently in 2017; the two products share only a name.
Key Features
Plane organizes work into issues, Cycles for sprint tracking with burndown charts, and Modules for breaking large projects into components, alongside customizable board, list, spreadsheet and timeline views.
It includes a built-in Wiki linked to work items and Plane AI for AI-assisted workflows, and can be deployed as a managed Plane Cloud service or self-hosted via Docker or Kubernetes, including air-gapped enterprise setups.
Pricing
Plane follows a freemium, per-seat model: the Free tier supports up to 12 users, Pro is $6/seat/month, and Business is $13/seat/month, each with an increasing allocation of AI credits per seat.
Enterprise Grid is custom-priced for organizations that need private or managed deployments, SSO/LDAP, audit logs and migration support.
Key Features
Work items and issue tracking — Rich-text work items with sprints, epics, sub-issues and triage.
Cycles — Sprint-style cycles with burndown charts and velocity tracking.
Modules — Break large projects into manageable components or feature areas.
Multiple views — Board, list, spreadsheet, Gantt/timeline and calendar views with custom filters.
Built-in Wiki — Documentation and pages linked directly to project work items.
Plane AI — AI-assisted work item creation, summaries and workflow automation.
Self-hosted or cloud deployment — Deploy via Docker/Kubernetes for full data control, or use the managed Plane Cloud service.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Open source (AGPL-3.0) with a free self-hosted option and full source access
Generous free cloud tier for up to 12 seats
Modern, fast interface compared to legacy tools like Jira
Self-hosting and air-gapped deployment support enterprise and compliance needs
Backed by OSS Capital, a fund focused on sustainable open-source businesses
Cons
Younger product, founded in 2022, with a smaller feature set than mature tools like Jira in some enterprise areas
AI credits are metered per seat, which can add complexity to cost planning
Self-hosting requires infrastructure management
Smaller third-party integration and app marketplace than Atlassian's Jira ecosystem
Pricing
Free $0/seat/month Monthly
Pro $6/seat/month Monthly or annual (25% off annually)
Business $13/seat/month Monthly or annual (13% off annually)
Enterprise Grid Custom Custom
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Plane (plane.so) free?
Yes, Plane offers a free cloud tier for up to 12 seats, plus a fully free self-hosted option since the software is open source.
Who owns Plane?
Plane is developed by a company founded by Vamsi Kurama and Vihar Kurama in 2022, backed by OSS Capital.
Is Plane the same company as the payroll platform Plane at plane.com?
No, they are unrelated companies that happen to share the name Plane; plane.so is the project management tool, and plane.com is a separate payroll and HR company founded in 2017.
Can Plane be self-hosted?
Yes, Plane is released under the AGPL-3.0 license and can be self-hosted via Docker or Kubernetes, including air-gapped deployments.
What are Plane's main competitors?
Jira, Linear, ClickUp, Asana and Monday.com.
Does Plane have AI features?
Yes, Plane AI provides AI-assisted work item creation and workflow automation, with AI credits included per seat.
How much does Plane cost?
Free for up to 12 seats; Pro is $6/seat/month, Business is $13/seat/month, and Enterprise Grid is custom-priced.
Has Plane raised funding?
Yes, Plane raised a $4 million seed round led by OSS Capital in April 2024.