Focalboard vs Wekan
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Focalboard is a project management and organization tool that allows users to create boards, lists, and cards to track their work. It's designed to be flexible and customizable, with features like drag-and-drop card movement and customizable workflows. Focalboard is built on top of the Mattermost platform, which means it integrates seamlessly with Mattermost's team messaging and collaboration features.
Wekan is a web‑based, open‑source kanban board that lets you organize tasks, projects, and workflows in a visual, drag‑and‑drop interface. It can be self‑hosted on your own server, giving you full control over data and customization. Designed for small teams and freelancers, Wekan offers a lightweight yet powerful way to track progress, assign responsibilities, and collaborate in real time without any licensing costs.
- Highly customizable and flexible
- Integrates well with Mattermost team messaging and collaboration platform
- Self-hosted, so you have full control over your data
- Open-source, so you can customize and extend the platform
- Completely free and open‑source
- Self‑hosted for full data control
- Simple, intuitive UI
- Active community support
- Can be overwhelming for small teams or simple projects
- Requires technical expertise to set up and customize
- Limited mobile app support
- Limited native integrations compared to commercial tools
- No official mobile apps, only responsive web
- Feature set may require manual configuration for advanced workflows
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The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataBoth Wekan and Focalboard are free, open‑source, self‑hosted kanban tools, but Wekan offers a simpler UI for small teams, while Focalboard provides deeper customization and Mattermost integration for development‑focused groups.
Key differences
- •Wekan has a very minimal UI and fewer built‑in integrations; Focalboard includes Mattermost, GitHub, and GitLab connectors.
- •Focalboard’s workflow customization and @mention/comment features are richer than Wekan’s basic card fields.
- •Wekan’s community support only; Focalboard adds optional email support.
- •Focalboard is built in TypeScript with 26k+ GitHub stars versus Wekan’s JavaScript base and 21k stars.
Pricing & value
Both are free, open‑source with self‑hosting; no licensing cost for either.
Ease of use / learning curve
Wekan’s simple, intuitive UI is aimed at small teams and freelancers, requiring less setup than Focalboard.
Features & depth
Focalboard offers customizable workflows, @mentions, commenting, and tighter Mattermost integration, exceeding Wekan’s basic kanban features.
Integrations & ecosystem
Focalboard lists native Mattermost, GitHub, GitLab integrations; Wekan only provides generic webhooks/API.
Collaboration
Focalboard includes collaborative @mentions and comments; Wekan relies on card assignments and labels only.
Scalability
Both self‑hosted solutions can scale with appropriate infrastructure; no specific limits disclosed.
Support
Focalboard offers community plus email support; Wekan provides community support only.
Security & privacy
Both are self‑hosted, giving full data control; no differing security features are specified.
Migration / lock‑in
Wekan can export boards as JSON for easy migration; Focalboard migration options not specified.
Choose Focalboard if…
Development‑oriented groups that want deep customization and Mattermost integration.
Choose Wekan if…
Small teams or freelancers needing a quick, low‑maintenance kanban board.
Common questions
Is there any cost to use either tool?
Both are free, open‑source products with no licensing fees.
Which tool integrates with my existing CI/CD platforms?
Focalboard lists native GitHub and GitLab integrations; Wekan only offers generic webhooks/API.
Can I export my board data for backup or migration?
Wekan provides JSON export; Focalboard’s export capabilities are not specified.