Free alternatives to Plane
Plane gives software teams a Jira-style tracker they can self-host for free, but the free path has costs of its own. Self-hosting means running Docker, updates, and backups, and the free cloud tier caps you at 12 members (as of July 2026). A few conveniences, like time tracking and templates, sit behind paid tiers even when you host it yourself. If the server work or the 12-member cap is the problem, these tools take a different route.
Facts checked as of July 2026Read our Plane review
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ClickUp
Best Free Alternative ToPlaneUnlimited free members with nothing to self-host, against Plane's 12-member cloud cap
ClickUp removes both of Plane's free-tier frictions: no server to run and no member cap. The Free Forever plan covers unlimited members and unlimited tasks across boards, sprints, and docs (as of July 2026). It is a hosted product only, and the free storage is 60MB total, so it is a different trade, not a strictly bigger one.
- Free plan, paid from $7/month (as of July 2026)
- United States
United States- Best for:
- Teams who want Plane's breadth without hosting anything
- The catch:
- 60MB total free storage and a busier interface than Plane's
Compared to Plane
- Advantage: Unlimited free members against Plane's 12-member cloud cap
- Advantage: Nothing to self-host; Plane's free-forever route needs a server
- Advantage: Sprints, docs, and multiple views included free
- Tradeoff: 60MB total free storage; self-hosted Plane is bounded only by your disk
- Tradeoff: No self-hosted or open source option
- Worth knowing: Both take time to learn and both gate time tracking behind paid
A faster, more polished hosted tracker, no server required
Linear is the tracker Plane is often compared to, and it is more refined to use. The free plan allows unlimited members but caps you at 250 issues and 2 teams (as of July 2026). You give up self-hosting and open source, but you also give up running a server.
- Free plan, paid from $10/month (as of July 2026)
- United States
- Best for:
- Software teams who want Plane's model with more polish and no hosting
- The catch:
- 250-issue cap on free and no self-hosted option
Compared to Plane
- Advantage: Faster and more refined than Plane day to day
- Advantage: Unlimited free members against Plane cloud's 12
- Advantage: Nothing to self-host or maintain
- Tradeoff: 250-issue cap on free; Plane's cloud free has no issue cap
- Tradeoff: Closed source and cloud-only; Plane is open and self-hostable
A free tier for 10 users from the tool Plane set out to replace
Jira is the incumbent Plane models itself against, and its free tier is genuine: 10 users, 2GB storage, scrum and kanban boards, backlogs, and agile reports (as of July 2026). It is more configurable and more of a maze to set up than Plane. Pick it if you want a mature hosted tracker and 10 seats is enough.
- Free plan, paid from $7.91/month (as of July 2026)
- Australia
Australia- Best for:
- Small software teams who want a proven hosted tracker for free
- The catch:
- Configuration overhead is the reason many teams tried Plane in the first place
Compared to Plane
- Advantage: Free for 10 users with 2GB storage, fully hosted
- Advantage: Mature, with a huge integration marketplace Plane cannot match yet
- Tradeoff: More configuration and admin overhead than Plane
- Tradeoff: Closed source; no self-hosting on the free tier
- Tradeoff: Atlassian may deactivate inactive free sites
A more mature self-hosted option with real Gantt charts
If you like self-hosting but want more maturity than Plane, OpenProject has a decade more history: work packages, Gantt charts with dependencies, agile boards, and time tracking, free under GPL-3.0 with no user limit (as of July 2026). Time tracking is included free here, where Plane charges for it. The interface is older and heavier.
- Free plan, paid from €5.95/month (as of July 2026)
- Germany
- Open source (GPL-3.0)
Germany- Best for:
- Teams self-hosting who want Gantt planning and free time tracking
- The catch:
- Heavier and more dated than Plane, and still your server to run
Compared to Plane
- Advantage: Gantt charts and dependencies included free
- Advantage: Time tracking is free self-hosted; Plane puts it behind Pro
- Advantage: No user limit on the Community Edition
- Tradeoff: Interface is more dated and heavier than Plane's
- Tradeoff: Still your server to install, update, and back up
Docs-first project tracking with nothing to host
Notion fits teams whose tracking is half documentation: a tasks database as a board or timeline next to specs. The free plan is unlimited for one person with 10 guests; a second member triggers a block limit (as of July 2026). It has no cycles or modules, so it is a looser fit than Plane for pure software tracking.
- Free plan, paid from $10/month (as of July 2026)
- United States
- Best for:
- Small teams whose work items live next to heavy docs
- The catch:
- Effectively single-player free, with no native sprints or cycles
Compared to Plane
- Advantage: Nothing to self-host; docs and tasks in one place
- Advantage: More flexible page and database model than Plane
- Tradeoff: Free workspaces with 2 or more members hit a block limit; Plane cloud free takes 12
- Tradeoff: No cycles, modules, or sprint structure
- Tradeoff: Databases slow down past a few thousand items
Open source scrum with a simpler self-host than Plane
Taiga is another open source tracker, built specifically around scrum: backlogs, story points, burndown charts, and kanban. Self-hosting is free under MPL-2.0 with no user limit; the hosted free plan is tiny at 2 projects with 10MB storage (as of July 2026). Development has slowed, so check the changelog before you commit.
- Free plan, paid from €5/month (as of July 2026)
- Spain
- Open source (MPL-2.0)
Spain- Best for:
- Self-hosting teams who run scrum and want the ceremonies modeled
- The catch:
- Hosted free plan is tiny, and the project's pace has slowed
Compared to Plane
- Advantage: Story points and burndown charts built in
- Advantage: Self-hostable under MPL-2.0 with no user limit
- Tradeoff: Hosted free plan covers just 2 projects with 10MB storage
- Tradeoff: Development has slowed next to Plane's active pace
- Tradeoff: Interface shows its age
A simple board when Plane's tracker structure was more than you needed
Trello is the lighter option for teams who found Plane's cycles and modules heavier than their work. Cards on boards, 10 free collaborators, unlimited cards, and 250 automation runs a month, all hosted (as of July 2026). It has no sprints or Gantt, so it fits simple tracking, not product roadmaps.
- Free plan, paid from $5/month (as of July 2026)
- Australia
- Best for:
- Small teams whose work fits a shared board rather than a tracker
- The catch:
- No sprints, cycles, or Gantt at any tier
Compared to Plane
- Advantage: Productive in an hour, nothing to host
- Advantage: Unlimited cards on free
- Tradeoff: No cycles, modules, or Gantt-style views that Plane has
- Tradeoff: 10 collaborators per workspace
- Worth knowing: 250 automation runs a month on free
How to choose
If you want a generous free plan with nothing to host, ClickUp has no member cap and is our top pick. If you like the tracker model but want a more polished hosted tool, Linear is the nicest to drive within its 250-issue limit. If you would rather self-host something more mature, OpenProject gives you real Gantt charts. And if a free tier for a small software team is all you need, Jira covers 10 users.