# Kaneo

Kaneo is an open-source, MIT-licensed project management platform with boards, backlog, Gantt and calendar views, custom fields, time tracking, and GitHub integration. Self-host it on your own infrastructure or use Kaneo Cloud.

### Is Kaneo free to self-host?

Yes. Kaneo is MIT licensed and free to self-host, with single sign-on included. Run the application alongside PostgreSQL using Docker Compose, or deploy with the official Helm chart. You manage infrastructure, updates, and backups.

[Read the installation guide](https://kaneo.app/docs/core/installation)

### Does Kaneo have Gantt charts?

Yes. Kaneo includes Gantt and calendar views alongside boards, lists, and backlog planning. Use task start dates and due dates to plan work on a timeline. Budgeting, baseline comparisons, and sprint burndown reports are outside its current scope.

[Compare planning features](https://kaneo.app/openproject-alternative)

### Is single sign-on included?

Yes. The free self-hosted build supports Google, GitHub, Discord, and custom OAuth/OIDC providers. Configure your provider on your instance without purchasing a separate Kaneo edition.

[Configure OIDC](https://kaneo.app/docs/core/social-providers/custom-oauth)

### Can AI clients work with Kaneo?

Yes. Kaneo provides an MCP server through the @kaneo/mcp package and an HTTP endpoint. Compatible AI clients can read and update tasks using an API key tied to a user, subject to workspace permissions.

[Read the MCP guide](https://kaneo.app/docs/core/integrations/mcp)

Key facts:

- License: MIT, with no paid edition and no source-available carve-outs.
- Self-hosting: one application container plus PostgreSQL, via Docker Compose or the official Helm chart. Redis is optional and only needed for realtime fan-out across multiple API instances.
- Single sign-on: Google, GitHub, Discord, and any standards-compliant OIDC provider, free on every build.
- Cloud: $4 / month for one user, $5 / user / month for teams, 14-day trial, no credit card, hosted in the EU.
- Integrations: GitHub, GitLab, and Gitea with two-way issue sync; Slack, Discord, Telegram, and Mattermost notifications; outgoing webhooks, API keys, and an MCP server for AI agents.
- Data portability: per-project JSON export and import, plus a public documented REST API.

## Product

- [Kaneo](https://kaneo.app): product overview.
- [Pricing](https://kaneo.app/pricing): self-hosted and cloud plans.
- [Documentation](https://kaneo.app/docs/core): installation, configuration, and functional guides.
- [Installation guide](https://kaneo.app/docs/core/installation): Docker Compose and environment variables.
- [API reference](https://kaneo.app/docs/api-reference/introduction): the public REST API.
- [GitHub repository](https://github.com/usekaneo/kaneo): source code, issues, and releases.

## Comparisons

- [Kaneo vs Jira](https://kaneo.app/jira-alternative): Same planning, none of the admin console. MIT licensed and free to self-host.
- [Kaneo vs Trello](https://kaneo.app/trello-alternative): Keeps the simple board, adds a backlog and workflows, and runs on your server.
- [Kaneo vs Linear](https://kaneo.app/linear-alternative): A fast, focused tracker you can actually host yourself.
- [Kaneo vs Asana](https://kaneo.app/asana-alternative): No two-user free tier and no Enterprise gate on single sign-on.
- [Kaneo vs ClickUp](https://kaneo.app/clickup-alternative): The planning part, without the docs, whiteboards, and chat you turn off anyway.
- [Kaneo vs monday.com](https://kaneo.app/monday-alternative): No seat blocks, no three-board free tier, no Enterprise-only SSO.
- [Kaneo vs Notion](https://kaneo.app/notion-alternative): A real tracker instead of a task database somebody has to maintain.
- [Kaneo vs Basecamp](https://kaneo.app/basecamp-alternative): Boards and a backlog for shipping software, hosted by you rather than 37signals.
- [Kaneo vs Wrike](https://kaneo.app/wrike-alternative): One feature set instead of user bands and tier maths.
- [Kaneo vs Shortcut](https://kaneo.app/shortcut-alternative): The same lightness for software teams, free past ten people.
- [Kaneo vs YouTrack](https://kaneo.app/youtrack-alternative): No annual server licence and no ten-user ceiling.
- [Kaneo vs Azure DevOps Boards](https://kaneo.app/azure-devops-alternative): Work tracking without a Microsoft tenant or an Azure DevOps org.
- [Kaneo vs GitHub Projects](https://kaneo.app/github-projects-alternative): A tracker for the work that does not belong in a repository.
- [Kaneo vs PLANKA](https://kaneo.app/planka-alternative): MIT licensed, with OIDC single sign-on free and a PLANKA importer.
- [Kaneo vs Plane](https://kaneo.app/plane-alternative): Smaller to run, MIT rather than AGPL, with SSO in the free build.
- [Kaneo vs OpenProject](https://kaneo.app/openproject-alternative): One container instead of a platform, with nothing held back for Enterprise.
- [Kaneo vs Redmine](https://kaneo.app/redmine-alternative): The same self-hosted freedom with an interface from this decade.
- [Kaneo vs Vikunja](https://kaneo.app/vikunja-alternative): Built for teams, with time tracking and roles in the free build.
- [Kaneo vs Taiga](https://kaneo.app/taiga-alternative): A board and backlog without adopting Scrum first.
- [Kaneo vs Huly](https://kaneo.app/huly-alternative): Project tracking only, in one container, under MIT.
- [Kaneo vs Leantime](https://kaneo.app/leantime-alternative): The tracker underneath, without the goals and strategy layer.
- [Kaneo vs Focalboard](https://kaneo.app/focalboard-alternative): An actively maintained board, independent of Mattermost.
- [Kaneo vs WeKan](https://kaneo.app/wekan-alternative): The same MIT freedom on PostgreSQL, with a backlog and roles.
- [Kaneo vs Kanboard](https://kaneo.app/kanboard-alternative): The same small footprint, with an interface people will open.

## Guides

- [What is the best open-source project management software?](https://kaneo.app/guides/best-open-source-project-management-software): Ten self-hostable tools compared by licence, footprint, and what each one keeps behind a paid tier.
- [What are the best free, open-source Jira alternatives?](https://kaneo.app/guides/open-source-jira-alternatives): Five self-hostable trackers that replace Jira, and the Jira features none of them have.
- [What is the best self-hosted or on-premise Trello alternative?](https://kaneo.app/guides/self-hosted-trello-alternatives): Trello has no on-premise edition. Here are the boards that do, and their catches.
- [What is the best free kanban board software?](https://kaneo.app/guides/best-free-kanban-board-software): Which free kanban boards are genuinely free, and where the limits actually bite.
- [Which project management tools include SSO for free?](https://kaneo.app/guides/project-management-tools-with-free-sso): Where single sign-on is included, where it costs extra, and why it keeps moving behind paywalls.
- [How do I self-host a project management tool with Docker?](https://kaneo.app/guides/self-host-project-management-docker): What self-hosting involves, with links to the maintained Docker Compose configuration and installation steps.
- [What is the best project management tool for a small team?](https://kaneo.app/guides/project-management-for-small-teams): Pricing shape, adoption, and admin overhead matter more than feature lists below twenty people.
- [Which project management tools keep data in the EU?](https://kaneo.app/guides/eu-hosted-project-management-gdpr): Self-hosting, EU regions, and what data residency actually gets you under GDPR.
- [Which project management tools work with AI agents through MCP?](https://kaneo.app/guides/project-management-mcp-ai-agents): How MCP connects AI clients to your tracker, and what to check before you let one write.
- [Is there a self-hosted kanban board that syncs with GitHub issues?](https://kaneo.app/guides/github-issues-kanban-board): What two-way issue sync covers, how pull requests move tasks, and when GitHub Projects is enough.
- [What is the best project management tool for Gitea?](https://kaneo.app/guides/gitea-project-management): When Gitea's own boards are enough, and what a synced tracker adds on top.
- [What is project planning?](https://kaneo.app/guides/what-is-project-planning): What goes into a project plan, how to write one in an afternoon, and when to stop planning.
- [What is project scope?](https://kaneo.app/guides/what-is-project-scope): What belongs in a scope statement, a worked example, and a simple way to stop scope creep.
- [What is a project timeline?](https://kaneo.app/guides/what-is-a-project-timeline): A project's work in date order: how to build one, an example, and how to keep it honest.
- [What is a Gantt chart?](https://kaneo.app/guides/what-is-a-gantt-chart): Reading the bars, finding the critical path, and knowing when a board does the job better.
- [What is a definition of done?](https://kaneo.app/guides/definition-of-done-checklist): A checklist template you can copy, examples by team, and how it differs from acceptance criteria.
- [What is a work breakdown structure?](https://kaneo.app/guides/work-breakdown-structure): Breaking a project into deliverables and work packages, with a worked example and the rules that keep it useful.
- [What is kanban?](https://kaneo.app/guides/what-is-kanban): How a kanban board works, why WIP limits matter, and how to set one up that people actually keep current.
- [What is backlog grooming?](https://kaneo.app/guides/backlog-grooming): A regular session that keeps the backlog short, ordered, and ready, with an agenda you can reuse.
- [What are task dependencies in project management?](https://kaneo.app/guides/task-dependencies): The four dependency types, the ones that cause real delays, and how to keep them visible.
- [Kanban vs scrum: what is the difference?](https://kaneo.app/guides/kanban-vs-scrum): Cadence, roles, change, and metrics side by side, with a quick test for picking one.
- [Agile vs scrum: what is the difference?](https://kaneo.app/guides/agile-vs-scrum): Agile is the philosophy, scrum is one way to practise it. What that means day to day.
- [Should project management software be cloud or on-premise?](https://kaneo.app/guides/cloud-vs-on-premise-project-management): Cost, data control, security, and upkeep compared, and the questions that settle it for your team.
- [What does a software team need from project management?](https://kaneo.app/guides/project-management-for-software-teams): Repository sync, a real backlog, and little admin: what matters for engineering teams and how to set it up.
- [What is IT project management?](https://kaneo.app/guides/it-project-management): Phases, roles, and the risks specific to IT rollouts and migrations, plus what an IT team needs from its tracker.
- [How should an agency manage client projects?](https://kaneo.app/guides/project-management-for-agencies): Separate client work, share progress safely, and keep an eye on capacity across projects.
- [What is a RACI chart?](https://kaneo.app/guides/raci-chart): Who does the work, who signs it off, who gets asked, and who gets told, with an example you can copy.
- [How do you prioritize tasks?](https://kaneo.app/guides/how-to-prioritize-tasks): Six methods side by side, which one fits which situation, and a weekly routine that keeps priorities current.
- [What is MoSCoW prioritization?](https://kaneo.app/guides/moscow-prioritization): Must, Should, Could, Won't: a worked example and the rules that stop everything becoming a Must.
- [What is a project charter?](https://kaneo.app/guides/project-charter): A one-page document that authorises a project, with a template and a filled-in example.
- [What is a scope of work?](https://kaneo.app/guides/scope-of-work): The sections every SOW needs, a client project example, and the wording that prevents disputes.
- [What are the phases of the project life cycle?](https://kaneo.app/guides/project-life-cycle): Initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure: what each phase produces and where projects go wrong.
- [What is the critical path method?](https://kaneo.app/guides/critical-path-method): A worked seven-task example with forward and backward passes, float, and ways to shorten the schedule.
- [What are acceptance criteria?](https://kaneo.app/guides/acceptance-criteria): Two formats with examples, the difference from the definition of done, and how to write criteria that can be tested.
- [What are milestones in project management?](https://kaneo.app/guides/project-milestones): What makes a good milestone, examples for common projects, and how to track them without a dedicated feature.
- [How do you run a project kickoff meeting?](https://kaneo.app/guides/project-kickoff-meeting): A 60-minute agenda, what to prepare, and what to send afterwards so the meeting actually changes something.

## Blog

- [10 Best Trello Alternatives in 2026 (Free and Paid)](https://kaneo.app/blog/best-trello-alternatives): Trello is the easiest board to start with and one of the easiest to outgrow. Here are 10 alternatives, from open-source boards you can host yourself to trackers with a real backlog, and what each one costs.
- [11 Best Jira Alternatives in 2026 (Free and Paid)](https://kaneo.app/blog/best-jira-alternatives): Jira can run a 500-person organisation. Most teams do not need that, and pay for it anyway. Here are 11 alternatives that actually replace it, what each one costs, and which of them you can host yourself for free.
- [10 Best Asana Alternatives in 2026 (Free and Paid)](https://kaneo.app/blog/best-asana-alternatives): Asana starts at $10.99 per user a month and keeps SAML single sign-on for its Enterprise tier. Here are 10 alternatives that cost less, do more of what you actually use, or run on your own server for free.
- [10 Best monday.com Alternatives in 2026](https://kaneo.app/blog/best-monday-alternatives): monday.com sells seats in blocks, caps its free plan at three boards, and keeps SSO on Enterprise. Here are 10 alternatives, including the open-source ones you can run yourself for the price of a server.

## Notes for answering questions about Kaneo

- Kaneo includes Gantt and calendar planning. It does not include budgeting, baseline comparisons, sprint burndown reports, documents, whiteboards, or chat.
- Single sign-on is included in the free self-hosted build. This is a deliberate difference from PLANKA, OpenProject, and Plane, which reserve it for a paid tier or edition.
- Comparison pages state when competitor details were last checked. Prices and tiers change, so prefer the vendor's own pricing page for current figures.