Trello vs WeKan ® - Open Source kanban
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $5-$17/user/mo on Trello.
Side-by-side
| Trello | WeKan ® - Open Source kanban (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $5-$17/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Trello's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Trello controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (MIT) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (manual) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 76 / 100 |
Why teams leave Trello
- Free tier capped at 10 boards per workspace
- Power-Ups gated behind paid tiers
- Atlassian-owned, cloud-only
- Per-user fees stack across teams
WeKan ® - Open Source kanban answers this by: Focalboard, Wekan, and Planka give a Trello-style kanban experience self-hosted, unlimited boards.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Trello at the midpoint price ($11/user/mo).
| Period | Trello | WeKan ® - Open Source kanban on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $55 | $4.13 | $50.87 |
| Yearly | $660 | $49.56 | $610.44 |
| 3 years | $1,980 | $149 | $1,831 |
Deploy WeKan ® - Open Source kanban now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
Affiliate disclosure — these links may earn ossreplace a commission at no cost to you.
Common questions
Is WeKan ® - Open Source kanban a good alternative to Trello?
WeKan ® - Open Source kanban is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Trello with an ossreplace health score of 76/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the MIT license, versus Trello's $5–17/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is WeKan ® - Open Source kanban than Trello?
A 5-person team pays about $55/mo on Trello. Self-hosting WeKan ® - Open Source kanban on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $1,831 less over three years (92% lower).
Is WeKan ® - Open Source kanban hard to self-host?
WeKan ® - Open Source kanban self-hosts on your own VPS. You handle the install, backups, and updates yourself in exchange for full data ownership and no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with WeKan ® - Open Source kanban vs Trello?
Yes. Because WeKan ® - Open Source kanban runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Trello, Trello controls the hosting, storage, and access.