Best Self Hosted Alternatives to OmniFocus

Habitica is an open-source habit-building program that treats your life like a role-playing game. Level up as you succeed, lose HP for failures, and earn Gold to buy weapons and armor. The project emphasizes community-driven guides and help resources to support contributors.

Key Features

• Gamified task management with Habits, Dailies and To-Dos, plus XP, Gold and gear. (apps.apple.com)
• Avatar customization with gear, pets and cosmetics. (apps.apple.com)
• Social features including Parties, Challenges and Guilds for collaboration and accountability. (apps.apple.com)
• Cross‑platform syncing and a strong open-source community contributing to the project. (apps.apple.com) (github.com)
• Subscriptions unlock Gems and exclusive items for extra content. (apps.apple.com)
• Tech stack demonstrated in the repository includes Node.js, Vue.js, Express and MongoDB. (github.com)

Use Cases

• Personal productivity and habit formation by turning tasks into RPG progress. (en.wikipedia.org)
• Team collaboration and accountability through Parties and Guilds for shared goals. (apps.apple.com)
• Learning or onboarding support via gamified task workflows and social features. (en.wikipedia.org)

Conclusion Habitica blends task management with RPG mechanics and a vibrant open-source community; it is widely used for personal productivity and collaborative goal-tracking. (github.com)

Taskwarrior is a free, open-source command-line task management tool for creating, tracking and reporting TODO items. It emphasizes a flexible, scriptable workflow with powerful filtering, recurrence and dependency features for both simple and complex task setups. (taskwarrior.org)

Key Features

• Command-line first interface with rich filtering and query capabilities (complex boolean filters, custom reports).
• Projects, tags, priorities, due dates, contexts, and user-defined attributes to model diverse workflows.
• Recurring tasks, task dependencies, annotations and history/logging for audit and review.
• Extensible with hooks, scripts and third-party UIs; integrates with a sync/server component (taskd) for multi-device synchronization.
• Cross-platform packaging and source builds with a mature toolchain and ecosystem of extensions and companion projects.

(Features summary derived from official project documentation and repository.) (taskwarrior.org)

Use Cases

• Personal GTD-style task tracking and daily todo management from the terminal.
• Automation and scripting of task workflows (CI hooks, editor integrations, shell scripts).
• Multi-device task synchronization and collaborative workflows via the taskd sync server and compatible third-party clients.

Limitations and Considerations

• No single official first-party graphical UI; most GUIs and web frontends are community projects with varying compatibility and maintenance status.
• Sync and multi-device setups require configuring the separate sync server or third-party hosting, which can add operational complexity.
• The CLI-focused design has a learning curve for users accustomed to GUI-only task apps.

Taskwarrior is a mature, feature-rich CLI task manager with an active community and ecosystem of plugins and frontends. It is best suited for users who want scriptability, fine-grained control and reproducible task workflows from the command line. (github.com)

Vikunja is an open-source to-do and task management application designed to help individuals and teams organize work in projects. It provides collaborative task tracking with multiple ways to visualize and plan your workload.

Key Features

• Project-based organization with hierarchical projects and subprojects
• Task assignment and project sharing for team collaboration
• Multiple task views including list, Kanban, Gantt, and table
• Web-based UI backed by an API for integrations and automation

Use Cases

• Personal task tracking and daily planning with project structure
• Team task coordination with shared projects and assigned responsibilities
• Project planning and timeline overview using Gantt and board views

Vikunja is a flexible, privacy-friendly alternative to proprietary task managers, combining a clean UI with collaboration and planning features for a wide range of workflows.

Tasks.md is a self-hosted task management board that uses your filesystem as the source of truth. Lanes are directories and tasks are Markdown files, giving you a simple, portable structure that works well with typical note-taking and file-sync workflows.

Key Features

• Kanban-style board with lanes, cards, and tags in a modern responsive UI
• Tasks stored as Markdown files on disk (folders represent lanes)
• Supports opening subdirectories as separate projects via URL path
• Light/dark mode that follows operating system settings
• CSS customization via a user-editable stylesheet and built-in color themes
• Supports subpath reverse-proxy deployments via a configurable base path
• Simple deployment using a single Docker image; can also run from source
• Optional install as a Progressive Web App (PWA)

Use Cases

• Personal task tracking with plain-text Markdown files you can version or sync
• Lightweight project boards for small teams or homelabs without a database
• Organizing tasks alongside a folder-based knowledge base or notes workflow

Limitations and Considerations

• PWA functionality does not work when the base path is set to anything other than "/"
• Feature scope is intentionally kept narrow, so advanced project management features may be out of scope

Tasks.md is a practical choice if you want a kanban board without a database and prefer human-readable files. Its folder-and-Markdown approach keeps your tasks easy to back up, migrate, and edit outside the UI when needed.

Donetick is an open-source application for managing tasks and chores for individuals, families, and small groups. It combines natural-language task creation with flexible recurrence rules, assignment/rotation strategies, and history/analytics to simplify recurring work.

Key Features

• Natural-language task creation and parsing (dates, times, recurrence, priorities, labels).
• Advanced recurring scheduling: schedule by due-date or completion-date, adaptive suggestions from history, and fine-grained frequency options.
• Assignee management: assign tasks to people, automatic rotation strategies (least-completed, round-robin, random).
• "Things": track non-task state (numeric, boolean, text) and trigger task state changes when things meet conditions.
• NFC tag support for physical task completion triggers and mount-friendly dashboard mode for shared displays.
• Notifications and integrations: multi-channel reminders (Telegram, Discord, Pushover), webhooks, and a REST API with long-lived access token support.
• Storage options for attachments: local or S3-compatible object storage (e.g., MinIO), plus image/photo attachments support.
• Security & auth: TOTP-based MFA and OpenID Connect / OAuth2 provider support for SSO.
• Realtime sync between clients and a documented configuration system for self-hosted deployments.

Use Cases

• Household or shared-living chore management with rotating assignments and persistent completion history.
• Small teams or volunteer groups that need recurring maintenance scheduling, reminders, and audit history.
• Integrations/automations that mark tasks done from external sensors or systems (via Things, webhooks, or NFC triggers).

Limitations and Considerations

• Mobile apps are early/alpha: Android and iOS clients are available in early builds and may show compatibility or connectivity issues; setup often requires proper HTTPS and CORS configuration for reliable mobile behavior.
• Offline support is limited: some UI areas work offline but full functionality relies on backend connectivity and realtime sync.
• Some features are noted as WIP in docs (for example certain local storage paths and UI behaviors); administrators should review configuration options and test uploads/attachments in their deployment.

Donetick is designed for self-hosting with Docker, binaries, or source builds and emphasizes configurable scheduling, integrations, and privacy-friendly operation. It is suited for users who need more advanced recurrence and assignment features than typical to-do apps and who can run or manage a self-hosted service.

Tracks is a web-based Getting Things Done (GTD) task manager that helps users organise actions, projects and contexts. It is an open-source Ruby on Rails application with multi-user support, feeds and an API for automation and integrations. (getontracks.org)

Key Features

• Context- and project-based task management with drag-and-drop ordering and per-project defaults
• Tagging and starring of actions for alternate views and quick prioritisation
• Scheduling, tickler (future visibility), due dates, recurring actions and task dependencies/statistics for progress measurement
• Multiple export and feed formats (RSS, iCal, CSV, XML) and a programmatic REST-style API for automation
• Multi-database support (SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL) and Docker / Docker Compose support for easy deployment; Rails 6.1 core stack. (github.com)

Use Cases

• Personal productivity using GTD workflows: capture actions, assign contexts and review next actions
• Small teams or families: shared multi-user installation to coordinate projects and track progress
• Automation and reporting: use the API and feeds to integrate with scripts, calendars or third-party tools. (github.com)

Limitations and Considerations

• The codebase targets Rails 6.1 and UI assets use older Bootstrap (bootstrap-sass), so the interface and dependencies may feel dated compared with modern single-page apps; updating major framework versions may require work. (github.com)
• Out-of-the-box third-party SSO/OAuth integrations are limited; operators commonly add integrations or use hosted variants for convenience.

Tracks is a mature, opinionated GTD web app focused on clear task/project/context workflows, extensible via its API and adaptable via Docker or source installs. It is suitable for individuals and small teams who prefer an open-source, Rails-based GTD implementation.

TaskTrove is a modern, open-source task and project manager designed for self-hosting and privacy. It provides list, kanban and calendar views, natural-language date parsing, recurring tasks, subtasks and file-based JSON storage for simple backups and portability. (tasktrove.io)

Key Features

• Natural-language quick add (e.g. "tomorrow at 2pm") and intelligent due-date suggestions. (tasktrove.io)
• Recurring tasks with flexible patterns and automatic scheduling. (github.com)
• Multiple views: list, kanban board (drag-and-drop), and calendar. (tasktrove.io)
• Unlimited tasks, projects and sections; compact UI for dense task lists. (tasktrove.io)
• Subtasks, priorities, labels, attachments, advanced filtering and powerful search. (github.com)
• Simple data management using file-based JSON storage (easy backups and exports). (github.com)
• Self-hosting deployment options (Docker image and docker-compose provided). (tasktrove.io)

Use Cases

• Personal productivity: manage todos, habits, and recurring personal tasks with local data storage. (tasktrove.io)
• Small teams or families: share projects and coordinate work via shared projects (multi-user features available under Pro). (tasktrove.io)
• Self-hosted deployments for privacy-conscious organizations that prefer file-based backups and control over data. (github.com)

Limitations and Considerations

• Multi-user collaboration and advanced team features are gated behind the Pro edition / license (Pro is listed as "coming soon" on the project site). (tasktrove.io)
• File-based JSON storage is simple and portable but may not scale as well as a dedicated database for very large teams or high-concurrency deployments. (github.com)
• Some planned features (hosted option, mobile and desktop apps, plugin ecosystem) are listed as upcoming; expect functionality differences between the free self-hosted edition and future Pro/hosted offerings. (tasktrove.io)

TaskTrove is a focused, privacy-first task manager for users who want ownership of their data and straightforward self-hosting. It suits individuals and small teams that value local backups and a modern UI, with paid/pro features planned for larger or collaborative deployments. (tasktrove.io)

FluidCalendar is an open-source calendar and task management application focused on intelligent scheduling. It helps plan tasks into available time slots while integrating with external calendar providers for a consolidated view of your schedule.

Key Features

• Intelligent task scheduling to place tasks into available time blocks based on preferences
• Calendar management UI with time-blocking style views
• Integrations with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook (via OAuth)
• Optional CalDAV integration for additional calendar providers
• Configurable system settings and environment-based configuration
• Container-friendly deployment with a bundled PostgreSQL setup

Use Cases

• Personal time-blocking and automatic planning of daily tasks
• Combining multiple calendars (work and personal) into one scheduling workflow
• Teams or individuals who want a self-controlled alternative to proprietary smart scheduling tools

Limitations and Considerations

• The project is in active development and may be buggy or incomplete, so it may not be suitable for production use yet
• Some features may differ between the open-source edition and the hosted SaaS offering

FluidCalendar is a good fit for users who want an open, customizable scheduling workflow with modern calendar UI and external calendar synchronization. It is especially useful for experimentation and iterative improvement while the project matures.

Nextcloud Tasks is a task management app for the Nextcloud platform. It provides a web interface to create, organize, and track to-dos, while syncing with external clients using CalDAV.

Key Features

• Create, edit, and delete tasks with title, description, start/due dates, priority, and completion status
• Subtasks support for breaking down work items
• Smart collections for important, current, and upcoming tasks
• Drag-and-drop to move tasks between task lists and convert tasks into subtasks
• CalDAV-based synchronization with compatible mobile and desktop applications

Use Cases

• Personal task tracking synced across phone, desktop, and the Nextcloud web UI
• Team or family to-do lists hosted alongside a Nextcloud instance
• Centralizing tasks in a CalDAV-compatible system to integrate with existing PIM workflows

Limitations and Considerations

• Correct conflict detection depends on the HTTP ETag header; client-side extensions or server configurations that alter ETags can cause false conflict reports

Nextcloud Tasks is a practical choice for users already on Nextcloud who want a lightweight, standards-based task system. It combines an easy web UI with broad CalDAV compatibility for syncing across devices.

Manage My Damn Life (MMDL) is a self-hosted web frontend for managing CalDAV tasks and calendar events. It provides a desktop-first UI for VTODO and VEVENT management, multi-user and multi-CalDAV account support, and several task-focused views.

Key Features

• CalDAV client UI for tasks (VTODO) and calendar events (VEVENT) with fields like due, status, description and recurrence.
• Supports sub-tasks, task filters, multiple CalDAV accounts and multiple user accounts.
• Multiple views: list view, calendar view and a Gantt-like view for task scheduling and timeline visualization.
• Desktop-first responsive-ish interface focused on web use; includes screenshots and a demo image in docs.
• Open source codebase with containerized deployment artifacts (Dockerfile and docker-compose samples) and migration tooling.
• Built using a modern JavaScript/TypeScript stack with testing configuration included.

Use Cases

• Self-hosted teams or individuals who run CalDAV servers (Nextcloud, Baïkal, Radicale) and want a browser-based task/calendar frontend.
• Project planning where users need list, filterable task views and a Gantt-style timeline alongside calendar events.
• Users who prefer open source, locally hosted tooling and want to integrate multiple CalDAV accounts into a single UI.

Limitations and Considerations

• As documented in the project docs, CalDAV authentication currently supports basic authentication; OAuth for CalDAV accounts is not supported for full CalDAV authentication workflows.
• The project is marked beta; users should be careful when connecting production data and expect occasional rough edges or missing fields compared to full RFC 5545 coverage.

Manage My Damn Life is focused on providing a pragmatic, open source web UI for CalDAV-hosted tasks and calendars. It is suitable for self-hosting and local deployment using the repository and container artifacts, and development documentation is provided with the source code.

myTinyTodo is a compact, web-based to-do list application implemented in PHP with a jQuery-powered frontend. It provides AJAX-driven task management with multiple lists, tagging, priorities and due-date support and stores data in MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite databases.

Key Features

• Multiple task lists and a consolidated "All tasks" view
• Task notes with optional Markdown support (configurable)
• Tags and tag cloud for filtering
• Due dates and priority levels (-1, 0, +1, +2)
• Smart task creation syntax to set priority, tags and due date inline
• Drag-and-drop sorting plus several preset sort modes (by due date, priority, created/modified)
• Search across tasks and notes
• Password protection with read-only option and hashed password storage
• Export options and feeds: CSV, iCalendar and RSS feeds (feed key option for non-public lists)
• Responsive UI with mobile layout and optional dark mode; print-friendly CSS

Use Cases

• Personal task and GTD-style list management on a self-hosted LAMP/LEMP stack
• Lightweight household or small-team shared lists where simple password-based access is sufficient
• Embedding a simple todo widget into a site or CMS (there are community packaging/integration examples)

Limitations and Considerations

• No built-in per-user accounts or fine-grained multi-user ACLs; access control is based on a single password/read-only setting and feed keys for publishing
• No documented public REST API for programmatic integrations (integration typically requires DB-level or UI automation)
• Focused on lightweight single-instance use; lacks enterprise collaboration and advanced integrations out of the box

myTinyTodo is intended as a minimal, reliable web todo script for users who need simple, self-hosted task management with basic sharing and export options. Its small footprint and support for multiple SQL backends make it suitable for low-resource servers and quick deployments.

PiGa (Task Keeper) is a keyboard-centric list editor and lightweight task manager designed for power users. It provides a web-based, self-hosted server backend with a focus on fast editing, nested lists, and productivity shortcuts.

Key Features

• Keyboard-first editor with numerous productivity shortcuts for editing, navigation, formatting and task manipulation
• Nested/collapsible tasks allowing hierarchical lists and the ability to collapse children under a parent task
• Per-task tagging and simple metadata to organize items
• Multiple documents with quick switching between lists
• Copying/exporting of tasks (including as Markdown) and clipboard-oriented power-user actions
• Server backend implemented in Scala/Play with a relational database (configured for MariaDB/MySQL via Slick)
• Docker and docker-compose support plus command-line helpers for DB initialization and admin user creation

Use Cases

• Maintain fast, hierarchical TODO lists and project checklists for power users who prefer keyboard workflows
• Capture structured meeting notes or action items with tags and collapsible sections
• Manage recurring lists such as meal plans, shopping lists, or inventories with quick navigation and edits

Limitations and Considerations

• Requires a Java 11 runtime and a relational database (MariaDB/MySQL); initial setup requires DB configuration and table creation
• No official mobile app or built-in multi-device sync beyond the hosted server; experience is primarily web/keyboard-focused
• Defaults include a created admin account at setup that should have its password changed immediately

PiGa is suitable for users who want a fast, keyboard-driven list editor with server-backed storage and control over deployment. It favors power-user workflows over mobile-first interfaces and integrates into standard self-hosted stacks via Docker and a SQL database.