Project management is at the heart of getting things done—whether launching new products or keeping teams organized across continents. As digital workspaces expand and new challenges arise, it’s no surprise that more organizations are exploring open source project management software.
Open source tools aren’t just about cutting costs; they empower teams with flexibility, transparency, and real control over their workflow. The ability to freely adapt software, integrate with other systems, and securely manage data is changing how businesses approach collaboration and project delivery.
Today, open source solutions are accessible to all kinds of teams—not just developers. Many platforms now make it simple to design custom dashboards, automate approvals, and build visual workflows without technical skills. These changes put more power directly in the hands of users, helping teams work smarter, not harder.
In this guide, I’ll break down what open source project management software actually is, why it matters, and the unique advantages it brings to modern organizations.
What is open source project management software?
Open source project management software refers to digital tools for planning and tracking projects, with openly available source code. This model offers key benefits such as transparency, flexibility, and community-driven updates.
Core characteristics
Source code access: Anyone can view or modify the code to suit unique team needs.
Community support: Updates and improvements are often driven by a broad user base.
Customizability: Tools can be tailored for any workflow—Scrum, Kanban, Waterfall, or custom.
Self-hosting: Many let you run the software on your own servers for added data control.
Common features
Leading open source project management tools typically offer:
Task tracking: Assign and monitor work visually (e.g. boards, lists, Gantt charts).
Collaboration options: Built-in chat, document sharing, and discussion threads.
Time tracking and reporting: Tools for monitoring progress and resource use.
Security controls: Roles, permissions, and audit trails to keep projects secure.
Many platforms support integration and automation. Even for non-technical users, it’s possible to set up custom databases, dashboards, and automated alerts—boosting efficiency across the team.
Advantages and limitations
Advantages:
No ongoing licensing fees
Complete control and adaptability
Innovations come quickly from a global community
Enhanced privacy and data ownership
Limitations:
Support may rely on community forums
Technical skills may be required for setup
Ongoing maintenance is your responsibility
Why do businesses need open source project management software?
Organizations of all sizes are rethinking how they manage projects. Open source project management software is increasingly chosen for its cost efficiency, adaptability, and strong data privacy.
Solving real-world business challenges
Cost control: Avoid expensive, recurring license fees.
Customization: Adapt tools to specific team processes or regulatory needs.
Data privacy: Host your own data and apply custom security standards.
With open source, teams can extend or embed project management functions into their wider collaboration workflow—bringing together tasks, approvals, and communication in a single workspace.
Key benefits
Workflow ownership: Teams control the features, layout, and even the logic of their processes.
Easy integration: Connect with chat tools, CRMs, or cloud storage to bring project management into the tools your team already uses.
Strong security: By self-hosting or customizing code, organizations can meet strict compliance demands.
These capabilities go beyond cost savings—open source tools help drive faster innovation, prevent vendor lock-in, and enable teams to scale on their own terms.
Supporting modern collaboration
As digital work becomes more integrated, open source project management platforms are often incorporated into broader collaboration suites. This allows teams to automate more work, track projects from any device, and customize workflows through intuitive, visual interfaces—all while keeping data secure and processes transparent.
Major solutions: Popular open source project management software at a glance
OpenProject: Enterprise-class open source PM
Image source: openproject.org
OpenProject stands out in the open source project management software world as a robust, enterprise-grade solution. If you need classic project planning with advanced Gantt charts, timeline management, and a high degree of security, OpenProject deserves your attention. It particularly excels in environments where rigid compliance, cross-team collaboration, and detailed resource management are essential. Enterprise users and large organizations often praise its strong permission system and flexibility for self-hosting.
Taiga: Agile project management for developers
Image source: taiga.moe
Taiga is a favorite among agile development teams, offering a clean, modern interface tailored for scrum and kanban workflows. If your team focuses on software development and appreciates open source project management software that doesn’t compromise on agility or user experience, Taiga is a compelling option. From sprints to backlogs and epics, Taiga puts intuitive agile rituals front and center. Many smaller teams, startups, and dev shops value its lightweight feel and clear focus on core agile practices.
Odoo Project: Modular business management suite
Image source: odoo.com
Odoo Project provides a project management module as part of its broader suite of open source business apps. For those who want open source project management software tightly connected with tools for sales, HR, invoicing, and more, Odoo Project’s modularity really shines. It caters to businesses ready to build a fully integrated, customizable stack—often appealing to fast-growing companies or those already using other Odoo modules. The flexibility comes with some learning curve, but for business process automation, it’s hard to beat.
Leantime: Lean and design-centric PM
Image source: leantime.io
Leantime is an open source project management software with a refreshing focus on lean, UX-driven project workflows. It’s crafted for product teams, designers, and innovators who appreciate both structure and creativity. Leantime combines research boards, idea management, and visual timelines, promoting continuous improvement and rapid iteration. Teams that want a blend of lean methodology and user-focused design elements find Leantime particularly attractive.
Redmine: Powerful, extensible issue tracker
Image source: redmine.org
Redmine has built a passionate user base by offering one of the most adaptable open source project management software platforms available. As both a project management and issue tracking tool, Redmine’s plugin architecture allows you to customize workflows, integrate wikis, set up forums, and link with version control systems. If you value extensibility and need a solution that can evolve with your processes, Redmine is worth close consideration. It’s a staple for teams prioritizing tracking, reporting, and deep customization.
Why Lark is the best alternative to open source project management software
Exploring top open source project management software—like OpenProject, Taiga, Odoo Project, Leantime, and Redmine—shows how community-driven tools empower flexibility, customization, and transparency. Yet, as our business grew and diversified, I discovered real trade-offs in setup effort, workflow efficiency, and cross-team adoption. Lark isn’t open source, but its design answers so many modern project management pain points that it’s become the go-to for dynamic, fast-scaling teams like ours.
Below, I’ll walk through the strongest reasons Lark is more than just an alternative—it’s a true project management and collaboration upgrade.
Seamless, unified workspace—no more tool sprawl
Open source project management software platforms are often highly modular, but this can force teams to patch together separate apps for tasks, chat, documentation, file storage, and calendar functions. You might use Redmine for tracking, Mattermost for chat, Nextcloud for sharing files, and another tool for calendars—creating constant context switching and scattered data.
With Lark, project management isn’t just another module: it’s embedded directly alongside Lark Base for databases, Lark Docs for collaborative documents, Lark Messenger for real-time chat, and Lark Calendar for scheduling. For example, you can discuss a project in Messenger, instantly convert insights into action items in Lark Base, attach relevant Docs to a task, and schedule meetings on Lark Calendar—all within the same unified workspace and login. The result is less friction, better transparency, and truly contextual teamwork that just doesn’t get lost between tabs.
Effortless setup and zero maintenance
While open source project management software gives you control over infrastructure and customization, it can require significant technical setup and ongoing updates—hosting servers, installing plugins, managing backups, and troubleshooting compatibility issues. Even cloud-hosted versions of Odoo or Taiga demand periodic upgrades and admin effort.
Lark is delivered as a secure, cloud-first SaaS platform. You sign up, onboard your team, and start managing projects in minutes—no server configuration, no patching, no workflow “hacks” necessary. Powerful modules like Lark Base and Lark Calendar are available out of the box, with easy drag-and-drop setup and no-code automation built in. Your data is backed up and protected automatically, so you can focus entirely on the work that matters.
Built-in automation and smart workflow features
Most open source project management tools provide essential workflows—but advanced automation (like multi-stage approvals, status-triggered reminders, or cross-tool integrations) usually requires either scripting knowledge, community plugins, or connecting multiple apps through third-party bridges.
Lark brings workflow automation front and center, making it accessible to all users—no code required. The Lark Automation suite allows you to set up automatic status changes, notifications, approvals, and integrations with other business apps in just a few clicks. For example, when a task in Lark Base moves to “Needs Review,” a notification can automatically ping a manager in Messenger and schedule a review in Lark Calendar. You can even automate document approvals, resource hand-offs, and recurring project reminders—all natively.
Superior collaboration and real-time communication
In the open source ecosystem, collaboration often depends on combining multiple tools. For instance, you may use Taiga or Redmine for tasks, but still need to rely on external chat (Slack, Rocket.Chat) or Google Docs for discussions and drafts, which splinters focus and sometimes slows decision-making.
Lark’s approach is radically different: collaborative communication is deeply woven throughout every module. Lark Messenger provides chat (with message threads, @mentions, file sharing, even voice and video calls), while Lark Docs offers real-time co-editing, comments, and version history. You can jump from discussing a project roadmap in chat, to creating a shared planning Doc, to assigning tasks, and then scheduling a sync in Lark Calendar—never leaving the Lark environment.
Enterprise-grade security and robust permission controls
Self-hosted open source project management software puts security into your own hands—but that means you need to monitor updates, configure firewalls, manage access, and handle compliance demands. As your team or client list grows, this overhead can become overwhelming.
One of Lark’s core strengths is its built-in, enterprise-grade security framework. With features like advanced permission management in Lark Base, encrypted file storage across Docs and Messenger, and customizable admin controls, you can guarantee that sensitive data only reaches the right people. Compliance certifications and ongoing platform security updates are baked in. Permission settings are granular—down to Docs, tasks, or even single calendar events—supporting contractors, clients, or temporary teams without added risk.
👉 Learn more about Lark security!
Adaptable for all teams—not just technical users
Open source solutions often require a learning curve and configuration by advanced users—sometimes limiting adoption among non-technical staff. Lark stands apart by offering a clean, visual interface, natural language commands, and onboarding flows that welcome everyone—from marketing to product to operations.
Within Lark Base, you can customize fields, dashboards, and notifications without writing code. Task boards, Kanban views, and calendar layouts are all accessible and automatically synced across web and mobile. Visual workflow builders, drag-and-drop assignments, and contextual help make the platform intuitive enough for non-technical teams, yet powerful enough for engineers and PMOs.
Reliable support and continuous innovation
Open source project management software is fueled by passionate communities, but support is often limited to forums or extensive documentation. When issues arise, troubleshooting falls on your admins, and upgrades depend on volunteer contributors.
Lark, on the other hand, offers professional, responsive support both during onboarding and as your team grows. Regular feature upgrades, feedback loops, and proactive troubleshooting are provided as part of the subscription. New modules—like workflow enhancements, mobile-first dashboards, and integrations—are added seamlessly, future-proofing your project management investment.
How to manage projects efficiently in Lark
Managing projects in Lark offers a streamlined, fully digital experience. From building out your project structure to tracking tasks, collaborating across functions, and automating routine work, Lark’s tightly integrated toolkit lets every team member stay in sync—no matter where they work or what their role may be.
Below is a step-by-step guide that illustrates actionable workflows and how key Lark features work together to support project excellence.
Getting started: Setting up your project hub in Lark
Create a database in Lark Base: Start by launching a new base to serve as your central project hub. Customize fields such as project name, owner, deadline, status, associated docs, and links to related tasks.
Draft your project plan in Lark Docs: Use Docs to create your project overview, scope, goals, and resources. Docs support collaborative editing and rich formatting. You can embed checklists, tables, or even images and diagrams directly.
Visualize milestones in Lark Calendar: With project dates set, add important milestones as calendar events. Drag and drop dates or invite colleagues directly from Base or Docs—keeping your schedule transparent from the start.
Task management: Creating and assigning actionable work
Build out tasks in the Tasks module: Create tasks directly from Lark Base records, or start fresh in the Tasks view. Add assignees, due dates, priority levels, and detailed descriptions.
Track progress and dependencies: Use Kanban boards or list views to visualize workflow stages. Link related tasks to projects and subtasks, quickly seeing blockers or overdue items.
Automated notifications: Team members receive instant alerts when assigned a new task, or when due dates approach—whether on desktop or mobile.
Collaboration: Staying connected and contextual
Real-time edits in Lark Docs: Multiple teammates can co-edit project docs or requirements, with comments and @mentions for quick feedback.
Instant communication via Messenger: Chat channels keep conversations project-focused. Directly share Docs or Base records within chat to anchor discussion in context.
Contextual comments and file sharing: Every task, Doc, and Base record supports threaded comments and attachments, ensuring all feedback is preserved alongside relevant work items.
Scheduling and deadlines: Streamlining planning with Calendar view
Calendar integration: All project tasks and milestones are visible in Lark Calendar. Switch easily between project, team, or personal calendar views.
Smart reminders and automatic updates: Tie Calendar events to Base projects and Tasks. Automated reminders help everyone stay ahead of independent and shared deadlines.
Event invitations and availability: Book project meetings, check participant schedules, and invite guests straight from project workspaces, keeping coordination hassle-free.
Monitoring progress: Tracking, dashboards, and reporting
Custom dashboards in Lark Base: Visualize project progress with status fields, summary reports, and tailored views for lists, boards, or timelines.
Automatic status updates: Set up workflow automations so that when tasks are completed or projects reach milestones, dashboards reflect real-time status.
Export and share reports: Leverage built-in filters and summary options to share progress with managers or cross-functional partners with just a few clicks.
Automating routine work: Boosting efficiency with built-in automation
Approval workflows: Use Lark Automation to route timesheets, expenses, or task completions for manager sign-off. Set up multi-step approvals without code.
Automatic reminders: Trigger reminders for recurring deadlines, replying to comments, or following up on overdue tasks.
Handoffs and task progression: Automate task status changes—such as handing off to the next team once a deliverable is marked "Ready" in Base.
Conclusion
Selecting the right project management platform is a pivotal decision that shapes your team’s culture, productivity, and long-term growth. Open source project management software opens possibilities for customization and transparency, but can place heavy demands on technical resources and internal support. In contrast, Lark empowers teams to focus entirely on delivering results, thanks to its seamless integration of planning, communication, automation, and document collaboration.
Lark allows you to centralize every aspect of your workflow—from brainstorming and scheduling, to real-time updates and project reporting—all within one intuitive platform. This unified experience minimizes tool switching, reduces miscommunication, and accelerates execution. With built-in mobile access, robust automation, and granular security, Lark scales to support teams of any size, across any industry.
Whether you’re launching new products, coordinating cross-functional projects, or optimizing business operations, Lark removes the barriers that slow progress. Its visual, approachable design means every stakeholder can contribute fully—helping you cultivate a more motivated, empowered team. If your goal is to manage projects more efficiently without the hurdles of traditional open source tools, exploring what Lark has to offer is a smart next step.
FAQs
What is the best open source project management software?
Redmine, OpenProject, and Taiga are top open source PM tools, offering flexibility and community support. However, they often require self-hosting and technical setup. For effortless scalability and built-in collaboration, Lark provides an integrated, user-friendly alternative.
Which free project management software is best?
Popular free options like Trello, Asana, and Taiga help small teams manage projects, but usually have feature or user limits. Lark’s free edition combines chat, tasks, docs, and calendars for seamless teamwork.
Does Google have a free project management tool?
Google has basic tools like Sheets and Tasks, but lacks a dedicated, all-in-one PM solution. Lark unifies messaging, document editing, and project tracking for a more complete work experience.
Is ProjectLibre free?
ProjectLibre is a free, open-source alternative to Microsoft Project, strong in scheduling and Gantt charts. Lark supports agile workflows and real-time cloud collaboration for today’s teams.
Is Lark easy to adopt for non-technical teams or contractors?
Absolutely. Lark’s intuitive design, visual workflows, and simple onboarding make it suitable for any team—regardless of technical background or role.
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