Open-source and self-hosted Jira alternatives
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A straightforward look at six tools you can run on your own infrastructure: Windshift, OpenProject, Plane, Taiga, Redmine, and Focalboard. Each entry covers what the product does well, what it takes to run, and how much of Jira your team can keep.
Most teams start looking because something specific no longer works for them. They may need to keep data on their own infrastructure, avoid another license increase, choose when upgrades happen, or keep the Jira workflows their teams already know. Start there, then compare features.
All six products can be self-hosted, but they are not interchangeable. Each makes a different trade-off between scope, familiarity, setup, and paid features.
Windshift: Closest to the way Jira teams already work
Windshift uses projects, work items, boards, backlogs, fields, statuses, workflows, sprints, and milestones. It also keeps tests, time entries, customer requests, and Git activity with the work they belong to. You run it as one binary or an official Docker image.
Pick Windshift if you want to leave Jira without teaching the organization a completely new way to plan and track work. Import a representative project to see how your workflows and data carry across.
OpenProject: The established project-management option
OpenProject offers a free on-premises Community edition, paid Enterprise on-premises editions, and a vendor-hosted cloud service. Its scope extends beyond software delivery into broader project, portfolio, and construction-oriented work. Official product information
Pick OpenProject if you need broad project and portfolio management, or want an established vendor with both self-hosted and hosted editions. Its terminology and workflows are less Jira-like.
Plane: A modern workspace for projects and documentation
Plane provides an AGPL-licensed Community edition for Docker or Kubernetes, alongside commercial editions that add governance and deployment capabilities. Projects, work items, cycles, intake, and pages form the core workspace. Official product information
Pick Plane if projects, cycles, intake, and documentation are the center of the job, and your team is comfortable running a larger container-based stack.
Taiga: A focused Scrum and Kanban tool
Taiga is an open-source agile project-management product with Scrum, Kanban, a REST API, integrations, and a documented Docker deployment. Its documentation also includes a Jira project importer. Official product information
Pick Taiga if you mainly need Scrum and Kanban. It is a simpler fit than Windshift when built-in test management, time tracking, and customer portals are not part of the requirement.
Redmine: The long-established issue tracker
Redmine is a free, GPL-licensed project-management application built on Ruby on Rails. It covers issues, trackers, Gantt charts, a wiki, and forums, and it has a large plugin ecosystem. Teams run it on their own servers. Official product information
Pick Redmine if you need a proven, low-cost issue tracker and can accept that agile boards, workflows, and a Jira-style interface come from plugins rather than the core product.
Focalboard: A lightweight kanban board
Focalboard is an open-source board tool from the Mattermost project. It runs as a standalone desktop and server application or as the boards view inside Mattermost. Development has slowed since Mattermost shifted its attention elsewhere, so check the current project status before you commit. Official product information
Pick Focalboard if kanban boards cover most of your needs and you want something small. It does not model Jira workflows, sprints, or issue types, so plan for a different way of working.
Jira Cloud or Jira Data Center?
Many teams looking for alternatives are weighing a move inside the Atlassian catalog first. Jira Cloud is Atlassian-hosted software as a service, paid per user each month. Jira Data Center is the version you license and run on your own infrastructure, and Atlassian has set its end-of-life timeline: from March 2028, new purchases and license expansions are no longer possible, and the product itself becomes read-only in March 2029.
That timeline is why self-hosted alternatives matter. If your reason for leaving Jira is data control, upgrade timing, or cost, moving to Jira Cloud does not resolve it. The products on this page let you keep work management on infrastructure your organization runs.
What outside reviewers say
Open Source Alternatives, a directory that reviews self-hosted tools, ranked Windshift first among ten open source Jira alternatives in its September 2026 review:
"The best open source alternative to Jira is Windshift because it keeps familiar concepts for work items, custom fields, workflows and backlogs, with boards renamed to collections and sprints to iterations in the import, all on a single AGPL-3.0 binary."
The same review puts OpenProject second for teams that need Gantt charts and sprint burndown in a Community edition, and Plane third. It also names what Windshift does not yet do: burndown and velocity reporting are not documented, the project has not reached 1.0, and the Pro tier is not yet available. Even so, we suggest you read the full assessment yourself rather than rely on ours or on any single directory. Read the full ranking on Open Source Alternatives.
Jira familiarity, with control of the platform
Windshift keeps the Jira concepts teams already know while giving your organization control of the source code, data, and upgrade schedule. It also brings related work such as tests, time entries, customer requests, and development activity into the same system.
- Keep projects, work items, boards, backlogs, fields, statuses, and workflows familiar
- Run one binary or the official Docker image with SQLite or PostgreSQL
- Keep test cases, worklogs, customer requests, and development activity beside delivery work
- Inspect and adapt the AGPL-licensed source instead of waiting for a vendor roadmap
Try one of your own Jira projects
A feature table cannot tell you whether a migration will work. Import a representative project, run one of its real workflows, connect identity and source control, then test an upgrade and restore. You will quickly find the gaps that matter to your teams.
- Import projects, issues, comments, attachments, worklogs, boards, sprints, and custom fields
- Ask one delivery team to complete a real planning and review cycle
- Confirm identity, permissions, backups, outbound connections, and data location
- Record which Jira apps or processes still need a replacement or migration plan
Side-by-side comparison
| Tool | Self-hosted? | Jira-like UX? | Jira migration path | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windshift | Yes, one binary or Docker | Yes, Jira concepts kept | Built-in Jira import | Free AGPL core, paid Pro plan |
| OpenProject | Yes, or vendor-hosted cloud | No, its own terminology | Documented Jira import | Free Community edition, paid Enterprise |
| Plane | Yes, Docker or Kubernetes | Partly, similar vocabulary | No dedicated Jira import | Free Community edition, paid editions |
| Taiga | Yes, documented Docker setup | No, Scrum and Kanban focus | Documented Jira project importer | Free self-hosted, paid hosted plans |
| Redmine | Yes, Ruby on Rails install | No, trackers and issues | CSV import, no official Jira importer | Free open source |
| Focalboard | Yes, standalone or with Mattermost | No, kanban boards only | No documented Jira import | Free open source |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best open-source Jira alternative?
It depends on what you need. Windshift is the closest match if you want Jira-style projects, boards, and workflows on your own infrastructure. OpenProject fits broader project and portfolio management. Plane covers projects, cycles, and documentation. Taiga focuses on Scrum and Kanban, Redmine on classic issue tracking, and Focalboard on kanban boards. Test two candidates with a real project before you decide.
Is there a free Jira alternative I can self-host?
Yes. Windshift, OpenProject Community Edition, Plane Community Edition, Taiga, Redmine, and Focalboard are all free to run on your own servers. The direct license costs disappear, but you still pay for hosting, administration, and upgrades, either as your own time or as staff time.
Can I import my existing Jira data into these tools?
Coverage differs. Windshift imports projects, issues, comments, attachments, worklogs, boards, sprints, and custom fields through a built-in importer. Taiga documents a Jira project importer, and OpenProject documents a Jira import. Redmine and Focalboard have no official Jira importer, so teams move data through CSV files or scripts. Whatever you pick, import a representative project and inspect the result before you commit.
What is the difference between Jira Cloud and Jira Data Center?
Jira Cloud is Atlassian-hosted and paid as a monthly per-user subscription. Jira Data Center is the self-hosted edition your organization runs on its own infrastructure. Atlassian has announced that Data Center sales end a year before the product becomes read-only in March 2029, so teams on Data Center are choosing between Jira Cloud and a different self-hosted platform.
Is Redmine a good Jira alternative?
Redmine is a dependable, free issue tracker with a large plugin ecosystem, and it has run in production for many teams for well over a decade. It is a poor fit if you want an interface or workflow model close to Jira. Agile boards, workflows, and reporting come from plugins rather than the core product, so expect to assemble the pieces yourself.
Which Jira alternative feels most like Jira?
Windshift keeps the Jira model of projects, work items, boards, backlogs, fields, statuses, workflows, sprints, and milestones, so teams find their way around without retraining. The other tools in this roundup use their own terminology and structure. The reliable way to judge is to import one of your own projects and let a team work in it for a sprint.