Wekan overview: free open-source, self-hosted Trello-style kanban board with Trello import, swimlanes, REST API, and GDPR-friendly self-hosting.
Wekan is a free, open-source kanban board tool built as a self-hosted alternative to Trello. It was originally created around 2015 as LibreBoard by Maxime Quandalle and has been led since December 2016 by maintainer Lauri Ojansivu, with contributions from around 180 developers.
The application is built on a JavaScript and Meteor stack and deploys through Docker or Snap, letting organizations run it on their own servers or private infrastructure rather than relying on a third-party SaaS provider.
Wekan's board, list, and card structure closely mirrors Trello, and it supports direct import of existing Trello boards to simplify migration for teams switching platforms.
Core kanban functionality includes drag-and-drop cards, swimlanes, labels, checklists, due dates, attachments, comments, and user assignments, giving teams a familiar way to visualize and track work in progress.
Notifications alert users to mentions and changes, and templates let teams standardize board structures across projects to reduce setup time.
A REST API supports integrations and custom automations, and configurable public or private board visibility gives administrators control over who can see and edit each board.
Wekan is completely free and open source, with no license fees for the software itself. Costs are limited to the infrastructure needed to host and maintain a self-hosted instance.
There is no official first-party managed SaaS version from the core Wekan project, though some third-party companies offer paid managed hosting or commercial support contracts.
Because Wekan can be self-hosted entirely within an organization's own infrastructure, it can be run in a way that is fully GDPR-compliant, which is a key reason privacy-focused organizations choose it over commercial kanban SaaS tools.
Yes, Wekan is open source and free to self-host, with no license fees for the software.
Yes, Wekan supports importing existing Trello boards directly.
Typically yes, since there is no official first-party hosted SaaS version, though some third parties offer managed hosting.
A JavaScript and Meteor framework stack for both the front end and back end.
When self-hosted on your own infrastructure, it can be run in a fully GDPR-compliant manner since you control the data.
Yes, it exposes a REST API for integrations and automation.
Lauri Ojansivu has led development since December 2016, supported by a community of contributors.