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Focalboard

Rating: 4.2
User Satisfaction: 78%
Focalboard is a tool that provides customizable boards and views to help teams plan, track, and manage tasks so they can stay aligned and get work done.

Overview

Focalboard is an open-source project and task management platform designed for individuals and teams to visually organize work using boards (Kanban, table, calendar, gallery). It’s a self-hosted alternative to tools like Trello, Asana, and Notion. 

Focalboard gives you full control over your data and infrastructure because you can run it on your own server or desktop. It’s ideal for teams looking to avoid proprietary SaaS lock-in and keep costs down. Users benefit from extensive customization, collaboration features, and a rich template library.

Details

Tool Launch / Founded Date

Approx. 2020 (as part of Mattermost community)

Best for

Tech teams and developers Small to medium remote teams Organizations needing self-hosted or privacy-focused PM tools Open-source enthusiasts

Access Type

Free, open-source (MIT license for compiled releases)

Licensing Model

MIT / Open Source — full rights to use, modify, and self-host. Some source components may reference other open licenses.

Feature

  • Customizable Kanban boards with drag-and-drop task cards. 
  • Multiple views — Kanban, table, calendar, and gallery.  
  • Real-time team collaboration — comments and @mentions 
  • Board filters and saved views for quick access. 
  • Self-hosting — full data control and privacy. 
  • Pre-built templates (task lists, content calendars).

Pricing Tables

Pricing Model
Free
  • Completely free to use and self-host. 
  • Desktop and server editions included.  
  • Optional third-party hosting may incur separate costs.

Analytics

Traffic Analysis

Domain Rating
51
Organic Traffic
65.12K
Majority Users
United States

Visits Over Time

No visit data found.

Traffic Sources

No traffic data found.

Last Update Date: 2026-01-11

FAQ

Is Focalboard free?
Yes — Focalboard is entirely free and open source under permissive licensing.
Can I use it for team collaboration?
Yes — the self-hosted server edition supports multi-user boards and real-time collaboration.
Does it offer cloud hosting?
Not directly — the core project focuses on self-hosting and desktop use; third-party hosts provide cloud instances.
What views are supported?
Kanban, table, calendar, and gallery views are available.
Is there an API?
Yes — an API exists, but it’s community-driven and documented via GitHub.
Who is this NOT for?
Users who need turnkey cloud hosting or mobile-first native apps might prefer commercial SaaS tools.

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