Kanboard vs WeKan: Self-Hosted Kanban Compared
Quick Verdict
Kanboard is the better choice for individuals and small teams who want a dead-simple, lightweight kanban board. WeKan is better for teams that need a full-featured Trello alternative with swimlanes, WIP limits, and advanced board features. Pick based on how much complexity you actually need.
Overview
Kanboard is a minimalist kanban board written in PHP. It focuses on simplicity — drag-and-drop cards across columns, with just enough features to be useful. It uses SQLite by default, runs as a single container, and barely touches system resources.
WeKan is a feature-rich open-source kanban board written in Meteor.js. It aims to replicate Trello’s feature set, with swimlanes, card covers, checklists, custom fields, and board templates. It requires MongoDB as its database.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Kanboard | WeKan |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Meteor.js (Node.js) |
| Database | SQLite (default), PostgreSQL, MySQL | MongoDB (required) |
| Swimlanes | No | Yes |
| WIP limits | Yes | Yes |
| Subtasks | Yes | Yes (checklists) |
| Card covers/images | No | Yes |
| Custom fields | Yes (plugin) | Yes (built-in) |
| Time tracking | Yes (built-in) | No |
| Gantt chart | Yes (plugin) | No |
| Calendar view | Yes | Yes |
| Board templates | No | Yes |
| API | JSON-RPC API | REST API |
| Webhooks | Yes | Yes |
| LDAP/SSO | Yes | Yes |
| Email notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Plugin system | Yes (extensive) | Limited |
| Docker image size | ~50 MB | ~300 MB |
| RAM usage (idle) | 30-50 MB | 200-400 MB |
Installation Complexity
Kanboard is one of the simplest self-hosted apps to deploy. A single Docker container with SQLite — no database container needed. One port mapping, one volume mount. It works out of the box with zero configuration.
WeKan requires MongoDB, which adds a second container, volume management, and connection configuration. The setup isn’t difficult, but it’s more involved than Kanboard’s single-container approach.
Winner: Kanboard. Hard to beat a single container with SQLite.
Performance and Resource Usage
Kanboard uses roughly 30-50 MB of RAM with SQLite. The PHP backend is lightweight. It runs comfortably on a Raspberry Pi or any VPS.
WeKan uses 200-400 MB of RAM due to Meteor.js and MongoDB. The MongoDB instance alone can use 100+ MB. It needs a VPS with at least 1 GB of RAM for comfortable operation.
Winner: Kanboard by a factor of 5-10x.
Community and Support
Kanboard has a mature, stable codebase. Development is slower (it’s mostly “done”), with a plugin ecosystem that extends functionality. Documentation is thorough. Community is modest but helpful.
WeKan has more active development, with frequent releases and feature additions. The community is larger, and the project has more GitHub stars. Documentation covers most features but can lag behind rapid development.
Use Cases
Choose Kanboard If…
- You want the simplest possible kanban board
- You’re a solo user or small team (under 10 people)
- Minimal resource usage matters (Raspberry Pi, cheap VPS)
- You value built-in time tracking
- You want a plugin ecosystem for extensibility
- You prefer PHP’s simplicity for customization
Choose WeKan If…
- You need swimlanes for categorizing work streams
- Card covers and visual board features matter
- You want the closest Trello clone available
- You need custom fields on cards without plugins
- Your team is familiar with Trello’s UX patterns
- You have the resources for MongoDB
Final Verdict
For personal use and small teams, Kanboard wins. It’s dramatically simpler to deploy, uses minimal resources, and covers the core kanban workflow with built-in time tracking. The plugin system lets you add features if needed.
For teams migrating from Trello who expect swimlanes, card covers, and a Trello-like UX, WeKan is the better fit. It’s more resource-hungry and complex to maintain, but it’s the closest open-source Trello clone available.
FAQ
Can I import my Trello boards into WeKan?
Yes. WeKan supports importing Trello JSON exports. Go to your Trello board, export as JSON, then import into WeKan through the board settings.
Does Kanboard support multiple users?
Yes. Kanboard supports multiple users with role-based access control (admin, manager, user). Users can be assigned to projects and tasks with different permission levels.
Can I migrate from Kanboard to WeKan?
There’s no built-in migration tool. You’d need to export data via Kanboard’s API and import via WeKan’s API, or use a CSV intermediary. For small boards, manual recreation may be faster.
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