Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Hive

OpenProject is a web-based, open source project management platform for planning, tracking, and collaborating on projects. It supports classic, agile, and hybrid methodologies, combining task management, scheduling, and team collaboration in one system.

Key Features

• Work packages for tasks, issues, and project tracking with flexible workflows
• Gantt charts and timelines for project planning, scheduling, and dependencies
• Agile boards supporting Scrum and Kanban-style processes
• Roadmaps and release planning for product and delivery management
• Time tracking and cost reporting/budgeting for project controlling
• Built-in collaboration modules such as wikis, forums, and meeting agendas/minutes
• Integrations such as linking work items to GitHub pull requests

Use Cases

• Running agile delivery with boards, backlogs, and sprint planning
• Managing project schedules and milestones with Gantt-based planning
• Coordinating cross-functional teams with centralized tasks, meetings, and documentation

OpenProject is a strong fit for organizations that want a transparent, extensible project management system with both planning and collaboration features. It scales from small teams to larger organizations needing consistent workflows and reporting.

Kanboard is an open source project management application focused on the Kanban methodology. It provides a simple, minimal interface for visualizing work, managing tasks, and improving flow using WIP limits.

Key Features

• Kanban boards with configurable columns and drag-and-drop task movement
• Work-in-progress (WIP) limits per column with visual highlighting when exceeded
• Tasks with subtasks, comments, attachments, categories, colors, assignees, and due dates
• Markdown support for task descriptions
• Search and filtering with a simple query language and custom board filters
• Automatic actions to trigger workflow automation based on events
• Multiple authentication backends, including LDAP/Active Directory and OAuth2 providers
• Multilingual interface with extensive community translations

Use Cases

• Managing software or ops work with a lightweight Kanban board and clear WIP controls
• Tracking personal or small-team projects with tasks, due dates, and attachments
• Automating repetitive workflow steps such as assignments or metadata changes

Limitations and Considerations

• The project is in maintenance mode: major new features are not actively developed, with releases depending largely on community contributions

Kanboard is a pragmatic choice for teams that want a straightforward Kanban workflow without a complex UI. It emphasizes clarity, basic automation, and flexible task organization while remaining easy to deploy and operate.

Nextcloud Deck is a Kanban-style organization and task management app that runs inside Nextcloud. It helps individuals and teams plan projects using boards, stacks, and cards, with collaboration features integrated into the Nextcloud ecosystem.

Key Features

• Kanban boards with stacks and sortable task cards
• Card details with Markdown notes and rich descriptions
• Labels for organizing and filtering work
• Comments for team discussion on cards
• File attachments with embedding into card descriptions
• Activity stream integration to track changes
• Sharing and collaboration, including integration with Nextcloud Circles

Use Cases

• Personal task planning and organizing work in Kanban boards
• Team project coordination with shared boards and comments
• Managing lightweight workflows tied to Nextcloud files and activity

Limitations and Considerations

• Can generate a high number of database queries with many boards, cards, and attachments, which may impact performance at scale

Nextcloud Deck is a practical choice if you want Trello-like Kanban workflows tightly integrated with Nextcloud users, sharing, files, and activity features. It fits especially well for small-to-medium team planning where data should remain inside your Nextcloud environment.

4ga Boards is an open-source, realtime Kanban-style board system for team project and task management. It provides a minimal, wide-screen web interface with realtime updates, multitasking tools, and an advanced Markdown editor for card descriptions.

Key Features

• Realtime board updates and collaborative editing with WebSocket-based sync
• Kanban-style boards: projects → boards → lists → cards → tasks hierarchy
• Advanced Markdown editor for rich card descriptions and notes
• Import/export of boards and Trello import support
• SSO support (Google, GitHub, Microsoft) and user management
• Dark mode, collapsible lists and sidebar, keyboard shortcuts for productivity
• Docker Compose and Kubernetes deployment options; PostgreSQL database backend

Use Cases

• Managing software development sprints, issues, and backlog with Kanban workflows
• Coordinating marketing or operations projects with shared boards and templates
• HR onboarding and task pipelines where visibility and task assignments matter

Limitations and Considerations

• Mobile-first native apps are not provided; primary interface is a responsive web app
• Some language translations are partial; English, Polish, French, and Portuguese are fully supported
• Planned features such as two-way GitHub sync are listed on the roadmap but not yet available

4ga Boards is designed for teams that need a simple, extensible Kanban tool with realtime collaboration and easy self-hosted deployment. It is suitable for small to medium teams seeking a lightweight alternative to heavier project management platforms.