Focalboard
Open source project management alternative to Trello, Notion, and Asana
About Focalboard
Focalboard is an open source, self-hosted project management tool by Mattermost. It helps teams define, organize, track, and manage work across multiple views including Kanban boards, tables, galleries, and calendars.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free and open source with no feature limitations
- Multiple view types provide flexibility for different workflows
- Clean, modern UI that rivals commercial alternatives
- Tight integration with Mattermost messaging platform
- Self-hosted for complete data privacy and control
Cons
- No managed cloud hosting — requires self-hosting or Mattermost subscription
- Standalone desktop app development has been discontinued
- Fewer integrations compared to commercial tools like Asana or Monday
- Smaller plugin ecosystem than established project management platforms
Key Features
Multiple Views
Visualize work as Kanban boards, tables, galleries, or calendar views
Board Templates
Get started fast with pre-built templates or create fully custom boards from scratch
Card Comments
Collaborate with card comments, @mentions, and team notifications
Filtered Views
Apply filters to boards and save unlimited filtered views for different perspectives
Board Permissions
Share boards with the entire team or restrict access to specific individuals
Mattermost Integration
Built-in integration with Mattermost for seamless team messaging and project management
Self-Hosted
Deploy on your own infrastructure for full data ownership and privacy
Pricing
- Unlimited boards
- All view types
- Board templates
- Card comments
- Filtered views
- Self-hosted
Best For
Agile Project Management
Run sprints with Kanban boards, task tracking, and team collaboration
Personal Task Management
Organize personal tasks and goals with custom boards and views
Team Collaboration
Coordinate team work with shared boards, comments, and @mentions
Content Planning
Plan and track content calendars with gallery and calendar views
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