Elegant open source project tracking, Trello like but self-hosted

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall impressions of Planka

  • Many commenters praise the UI as modern, smooth, and “elegant,” sometimes snappier than Trello, Wekan, or OpenProject on slower machines.
  • Some attribute speed partly to the demo being a client-only app “without server features” and likely low data volume.
  • A few users report UX rough edges in the demo (e.g., unable to create a list on a new board, issues on Firefox Android).
  • One user migrated from Focalboard and is very satisfied for home use.

Licensing and forks

  • Planka switched from MIT to AGPL-3.
  • Wekan is MIT-licensed and actively developed with many features listed in its documentation.
  • There is an MIT-licensed Planka fork (4gaBoards).
  • Some mention Plane (AGPL) as another self-hosted alternative.

Comparisons and alternatives

  • Wekan: Trello-like, MIT, actively adding major features.
  • Kanboard: Frequently recommended; noted for simplicity, speed, easy PHP setup, Docker image, plugin system, but now in “maintenance mode” (no major new features, community-driven fixes).
  • Other mentioned tools: OpenProject, Nextcloud Deck (good mobile UX, CalDAV integration), Vikunja (subtasks, public views), Taiga, icescrum, Gitea/GitLab built-in boards, Kitemaker (hosted), Redmine, Asana alternatives.
  • Some see Planka and many suggestions (Kanboard, OpenProject) as different “beasts” in scope and complexity.

CLI and lightweight kanban

  • For terminal-based kanban: taskell and a Rust-based TUI kanban are suggested.
  • Taskwarrior + git syncing is mentioned for personal workflows.

Docker vs “simple PHP” debate

  • Extended subthread on whether Docker is overcomplication for simple apps, especially PHP.
  • Pro-Docker points: consistent environments, isolation, easier multi-app hosting, simpler backups, version pinning, avoiding host dependency hell.
  • Skeptical points: PHP already easy to deploy, Docker may encourage bloated/opaque setups, long-term maintenance and registry issues, perceived overuse for simple cases.

Design originality and cloning concerns

  • A few commenters are uneasy about open source projects closely copying Trello’s design and interaction patterns.
  • Others are unconcerned, especially when the original is commercial (e.g., Atlassian products).