3 Open Source alternatives to Jira in 2026
We compare 3 self-hostable tools you can deploy on your own server in minutes, with license, tech stack and a ready-to-copy docker-compose.
Quick comparison
Sorted by featured first, then GitHub stars as a tiebreaker — the same rule we use across the whole site.
| Tool | License | Minimum RAM | Docker | GitHub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plane Most popular on GitHub1-Click Deploy | AGPL-3.0 | ~2GB | ✅ | ★ ~33,000 |
| OpenProject Lightest option1-Click Deploy | GPL-3.0 | ~512MB | ✅ | ★ ~9,000 |
| Taiga 100% FOSS | AGPL-3.0 | ~1GB | ✅ | ★ ~4,000 |
Detailed profile of each alternative
Alternative to Jira, Asana, Linear
Project and issue management, an alternative to Jira and Asana.
Alternative to Jira
Agile management (Scrum/Kanban), a simpler alternative to Jira.
Alternative to Jira, MS Project
Project management with Gantt and budgets, an alternative to Jira/MS Project.
How much does Jira cost, and how much can you save?
Jira costs $8.15/mo per user. Self-hosting the alternative, you only pay for the server — usually a few dollars a month.
Calculate your exact savings in the SaaS Audit →Already know which one you want?
Add Plane to the Stack Builder and generate a ready-to-deploy docker-compose.yml, alone or alongside the rest of your stack.
Build my stackFrequently asked questions
Do I need Docker to self-host a Jira alternative?
Yes, for all 3: each one has a ready-to-copy docker-compose.yml. You just need Docker installed on your server.
How much RAM do I need at minimum?
The lightest option on this list is OpenProject, which runs on as little as 512MB of RAM — enough for a cheap VPS.
Are they all 100% free, or are there paid features like on Jira?
1 out of 3 are 100% FOSS. The rest are Open-Core: the core is free and self-hostable, but some advanced feature may stay paid — we call it out on each tool's page.