# 3 Top-Rated Open Source Project Management Software | Capterra > Looking for a customizable project management tool? Check out these top three open source project management software users rate highest to track and manage projects. Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/best-open-source-project-management-software --- Program & Project Management # 3 Top-Rated Open Source Project Management Software By Barkha Bali Barkha Bali Senior Writer Experience I’ve been writing for Capterra since August 2021, providing expert insights to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) find the rig... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/bbali/) Published April 8, 2022 | Updated on August 1, 2023 9 min read Feeling restricted by the capabilities of your current project management software or unable to manage projects and teams the way you want? Maybe it’s time to turn to an open source tool instead. Your in-house development team can tweak the source code of an open source project management tool and customize it to suit your business needs. Open source [platforms](https://www.capterra.com/project-management-software/) let you add custom features and functionality per your business requirements. And regarding cost, they are among the most affordable options for project managers on a budget. In this article, we’ve listed three top-rated open source project management solutions, in alphabetical order, based on verified software reviews. [Read more](#methodology). All the products in this article are dedicated project management tools that offer features such as project tracking, task assignment, and collaboration to manage all project phases. #### What is open source software? Open source software is software with a publicly distributed source code, released under a specific license, often free of charge. IT application/software programmers can use the source code to create a particular software solution, modify it, or enhance its functionality. ## 1\. [Bitrix24](https://www.capterra.com/p/113540/Bitrix24/) Bitrix24 is an open source project management solution that lets you automate routine tasks such as approving shift schedules, assigning new tasks to team members, tracking progress, and creating Gantt charts to get a transparent view of each project. Using its built-in Kanban board, you can visualize tasks and encourage brainstorming and real-time project collaboration. Its time tracking functionality allows you to identify tasks that take longer and accordingly change the project team's workflow. Bitrix24 is available in the cloud and on-premise with a source code that you can modify in any way to meet your team's specific needs. It includes various project management tools such as unlimited tasks and projects, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, task dependencies, and project planners. **Product features of interest**: - **Project tracker:** Leverage a built-in project tracking dashboard to monitor project progress in real time and notify stakeholders of any project-related updates.  - **Real-time collaborative editing:** Co-edit documents, spreadsheets, and other project files with team members in real time. This feature improves collaboration and eliminates the need for back-and-forth file sharing. - **Task and project templates:** Use prebuilt templates and customize them to save time and ensure consistency in project management. These templates may include task lists, deadlines, assigned team members, and other relevant details, allowing you to set up new projects or recurring tasks. **Open source license**: GNU General Public License (GPL) **Open source technical support options (free)**: FAQs, video tutorials, and webinars ### Who should consider Bitrix24? If your project management strategy prioritizes effective collaboration and communication with stakeholders, consider Bitrix24. Its project chat feature lets you create dedicated chats for each project, enhancing discussions about project-related issues and updates. You can engage in focused discussions for specific tasks by leaving comments, attaching files, providing feedback, and responding to user comments. Furthermore, its autofocus mode automatically filters tasks based on recent activity, highlighting the most relevant and pressing tasks for you to take action. Best functionality #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Cost to upgrade $43 per five users, per month #### Device Compatibilty Pro tip Check the open source license to determine how you can use, distribute, or modify the software’s source code. Some licenses, such as the GNU GPL, require any changes made to the software to be released under the same license. Contrarily, the MIT license is more permissive, allowing users to modify and distribute the software, even for proprietary projects, without any obligations. Understand these terms and conditions to ensure compliance and avoid any legal issues. ## 2\. [Odoo](https://www.capterra.com/p/135618/Odoo/) As a project management solution, Odoo lets you plan upcoming projects and schedule team members based on their availability. By breaking down projects into manageable tasks, you can assign them to specific team members, fostering accountability throughout the project lifecycle. Odoo’s calendar view helps track project deadlines and allocate required hours to specific tasks under planned shifts. Its real-time chatting pad and live chat functionality allow communication with multiple stakeholders and project managers. Odoo has a dedicated Runbot for users to test every feature of its open source tool, including a dashboard to get an overview of all tests. Runbot helps developers automatically build, test, and deploy their code changes in a controlled and reproducible environment. **Product features of interest**: - **Customized project stages:** Create custom project stages representing a project's phases or milestones from start to finish. This feature offers the flexibility to define and track project progress based on your requirements. - **Project forecasting:** Analyze historical data, project scope, resources, tasks, and timelines to make informed projections about a project's progress, costs, and completion. Project forecasting helps anticipate potential issues, allocate resources effectively, and take proactive measures to ensure timely delivery. - **Graph view:** Leverage the built-in graph view to visualize project data and progress, including tasks, milestones, timelines, dependencies, and resource allocation. This view allows you to track progress, identify bottlenecks, monitor resource utilization, and assess project health using intuitive charts, diagrams, and graphs. **Open source license**: GNU Lesser General Public License (GPL) **Open source technical support options (free)**: Knowledge base and discussion forum ### Who should consider Odoo? Odoo is worth considering for project managers looking to plan their projects better and refine their project estimation process. With its ability to analyze historical project data and performance metrics, Odoo assists in anticipating potential challenges, allocating resources appropriately, and establishing realistic project deadlines. By comparing project timesheets with initial forecasts, you can identify discrepancies in projected versus actual timelines and use this information to adjust future estimates to avoid overruns and optimize resource allocation. #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Cost to upgrade $24.90 per user, per month (billed annually) #### Device Compatibilty ## 3\. [Redmine](https://www.capterra.com/p/212445/Redmine/) Redmine is an open source project management tool that enables project monitoring, issue tracking, team collaboration, and resource assignment. It lets you create and manage multiple projects, each with its own set of features, team members, and permissions. You can also define project hierarchies, set milestones, and create project versions to track a project's progress over time. Redmine offers Gantt charts to visualize project schedules and dependencies, making planning and allocating resources easier. It also includes customization options, plugins, and extensions, allowing you to adapt the tool to your needs. Redmine integrates with email systems, enabling your project team to create issues or add comments via email. It captures the contents of incoming emails and includes them as replies in the relevant forum discussions. For instance, if there's an email inquiry about open source licensing, the system will automatically link it to the ongoing forum discussion on the same topic. This eliminates the risk of information getting lost in separate channels. **Product features of interest**: - **Time tracking:** Log the time spent on tasks and activities within a project. This feature enables team members to accurately track their work hours, monitor project progress, and generate reports based on the recorded time data. - **Issue tracking:** Track and monitor issues throughout the project lifecycle. Project managers can create new issue entries, assign them to specific team members, set priorities, track progress, and add relevant details such as descriptions, attachments, and comments.  - **Project forums:** Leverage a built-in discussion board for each project where users can post messages, ask questions, share ideas, and engage in conversations related to the project. Project forums provide a centralized platform for team members to collectively exchange information, seek feedback, and address project-related issues. **Open source license**: GNU General Public License (GPL) V2 **Open source technical support options (free)**: Discussion forums, FAQs, blogs, and videos ### Who should consider Redmine? If you’re looking for a project management system to capture and resolve project issues, consider Redmine. Its issue tracking functionality enables teams to create and manage various project issues, such as bug reports, feature requests, and priority tasks. Each issue can be assigned to a specific team member, categorized under different projects or categories, prioritized, and customized with additional fields to capture relevant information. Redmine also allows you to track the progress of issues, set dependencies between them, and generate reports to monitor the project's overall status. Most affordable #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Cost to upgrade Free #### Device Compatibilty Pro tip  Identify specific challenges your projects face and create a list of must-have features that can address those challenges. For example, if project planning and scheduling are major hurdles, choose a tool that automates scheduling, monitors milestones, displays workflows, and creates road maps for long-term project planning. ## What is the cost to upgrade from free open source project management software to a paid one? You can tweak the source code of an open source project management platform to add or modify features your business requires. However, if you want to leverage the features offered by the vendor, you’ll have to switch to a paid version of the tool. This way, you can access additional functionality and vendor support while still benefiting from the tool’s core project management capabilities. Pricing for project management solutions typically ranges between $5 to $149+ per user, per month, depending on various factors—features, plugins, templates, and customization. Most project management platforms usually include the following subscription plans: - **Free trials**: No-cost trial plans range from a week to a month, giving access to all or limited software features. These are ideal for businesses that want to try a tool before investing. - **Free versions**: Free software plans offer basic features and limited premium feature access. They are ideal for small businesses or individuals on a budget. - **Entry-level plans**: Start at $5 per month and offer limited features. They are a good option for project managers who need basic features such as project tracking and task management. - **Mid-tier plans**: Range from $10 to $30 per month and offer features such as advanced calendar management and unlimited dashboards. They are suitable for project teams that have outgrown entry-level project management tools and require only certain advanced features. - **High-end plans**: Advanced plans can cost more than $149 per month and offer training sessions, priority support, advanced reporting, and more. These plans are suitable for businesses with cross-functional project management teams. ###    Hidden costs associated with open source project management software Though there’s no upfront cost for open source platforms, you may incur costs related to the tool's development and long-term maintenance. These include web hosting services, premium themes or templates, paid extensions or plugins for advanced features, dedicated support or maintenance services, and fees associated with payment gateways or third-party services. Also, if you don’t have an in-house developer, you’ll need to hire one to work on the code, increasing the overall adoption expenses. ## Frequently asked questions when selecting open source project management software What kind of customer support is available with the open source version? While you typically get community support, a knowledge base, and release notes for free, some open source tools may offer paid support options, such as priority phone or chat support. This can be particularly useful for time-sensitive issues. Does the software offer real-time communication? An open source tool is incomplete if it doesn’t let your team communicate project changes or task updates in real time. Pick a solution that offers built-in live chat, call, or video conferencing for seamless communication. What process automation features does the software offer? Your chosen project management system should include process automation capabilities, enabling you to automate recurring project tasks and processes. These may include assigning tasks to team members, sending reminders for upcoming deadlines, approving or rejecting requests, updating task statuses, and generating project progress reports. * * * **Methodology** To be considered for this list, products must: - Have at least 20 unique product reviews published on Capterra within the past two years, with an average rating of 3.0 or higher. We selected the three products with the highest ratings to feature in this article. - Offer an open source, stand-alone version of the software with the source code freely available to be modified and redistributed. - Meet our project management software market definition: _“Project management software automates task assignment, resource allocation, and milestone tracking for all project phases.”_ The “best functionality” tool is identified based on the highest user ratings for functionality that a vendor received based on user reviews as of July 19, 2023. The “most affordable” tool is identified based on the lowest pricing a vendor offered on their website in terms of cost to upgrade as of July 19, 2023. Read more about our editorial independence. Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Capterra’s [project management software directory](https://www.capterra.com/project-management-software/). The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in the Capterra directory that offer them. Only products with publicly available pricing information (as of July 19, 2023) were considered for pricing calculation. Product research for this article was contributed by [Himanshi Arora](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/himanshi-arora/). * * * Looking for Project Management software?Check out Capterra's list of the [best Project Management software](https://www.capterra.com/project-management-software/) solutions. ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Author [### Barkha Bali](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/bbali/) Barkha Bali is a writer at Capterra. 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