ClickUp alternative
The open source, self-hosted ClickUp alternative
ClickUp packs tasks, docs, chat and AI into one hosted platform. Kuayle does less: it is a focused, keyboard-first issue tracker for software teams, under Apache 2.0, that runs on your own server with no per-seat price.
At a glance
- Licence
ClickUp: Proprietary
Kuayle: Apache 2.0
- Hosting
ClickUp: Vendor cloud only
Kuayle: Self-hosted
- Pricing
ClickUp: From $9 per user a month
Kuayle: Free, no paid tier
- Difference
- ClickUp is an all-in-one hosted platform; Kuayle is a focused issue tracker you host.
Why teams look for a ClickUp alternative
Enterprise SSO costs extra
SAML, Okta and Microsoft SSO and SCIM are on Enterprise and MAX only; Google SSO starts on Business.
Free limits are tight
Free Forever allows 60MB of storage and 100 automation actions a month.
AI is metered in credits
Brain credits are pooled per user; extra credits cost $10 per 10K.
Cloud only
ClickUp is hosted SaaS; data residency choices are on Enterprise and MAX.
Kuayle vs ClickUp, side by side
| Topic | ClickUp | Kuayle |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | No Proprietary. | Yes Apache 2.0. The full source is in one public repository. |
| Hosting | No ClickUp’s cloud only; US, EU or APAC residency on Enterprise and MAX. | Yes Self-hosted with Docker Compose (Caddy, PostgreSQL, Redis, API, frontend). There is no hosted Kuayle service. |
| Pricing | In part Free Forever; Core $9 and Business $17 per user a month billed yearly; Enterprise by quote. | Yes No licence fee and no paid tier. Nothing is gated behind a key; you pay for your own server. |
| SSO and SCIM | In part Google SSO from Business; SAML, Okta, Microsoft and SCIM on Enterprise and MAX. | No Email and password sign-in with invite links. No SSO (SAML/OIDC), SCIM, passkeys or magic links yet. |
| AI and agents | Yes Brain credits per user, with paid top-ups. | In part Opt-in Dev Machines run coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, opencode and others) in self-hosted containers linked to issues. There are no agents assigned as issue members. |
| MCP server | Yes Official remote MCP server on all plans, rate-limited on Free. | No No MCP server yet. |
| API and webhooks | Yes REST API v2 with webhooks. | In part HTTP API with scoped, expiring personal access tokens, plus HMAC-signed webhooks. No published OpenAPI reference yet. |
| Importers | Yes Asana, Basecamp, Confluence, Jira, monday.com, Todoist, Trello and Wrike. | No No importer from other trackers. Kuayle-to-Kuayle workspace export and import (.kuayle.zip) is built in. |
| Git integrations | Yes GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket. | In part GitHub App: branches, commits and pull requests link to issues, status automation on PR events, and PR comments. No GitLab, Bitbucket or Gitea yet. |
| Views | Yes Many views, including list, board, table, calendar and Gantt. | In part List and board layouts, saved views, triage inbox and a project Gantt chart. No calendar or table view yet. |
What ClickUp costs a year compared with Kuayle
| Team | ClickUp Core | ClickUp Business | Kuayle licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | $540 | $1,020 | $0 |
| 20 people | $2,160 | $4,080 | $0 |
| 50 people | $5,400 | $10,200 | $0 |
| 100 people | $10,800 | $20,400 | $0 |
Moving from ClickUp to Kuayle
- 01
Export from ClickUp
Export list and table views (Business and above) or read tasks through the ClickUp REST API.
- 02
Deploy Kuayle
Run the Docker Compose stack on your server (Caddy, PostgreSQL, Redis, API and frontend), then create a workspace and invite the team.
- 03
Recreate teams and workflows
Set up teams (public or private), team statuses, labels and issue templates before moving work, so issues land in the right place.
- 04
Move open work through the API
Kuayle has no built-in ClickUp importer yet. Script the move of open issues with a scoped personal access token, or start fresh with active work and keep ClickUp read-only for history.
When to stay on ClickUp, and when to choose Kuayle
Stay on ClickUp if
- You want docs, chat, whiteboards and tasks in one product.
- You rely on ClickUp’s many views, automations or AI.
- You need SSO now; Kuayle does not offer SSO yet.
Choose Kuayle if
- Your engineering team wants a fast, focused tracker rather than an all-in-one platform.
- Data must stay on your own servers.
- Seat count should not change the price.
Other ClickUp alternatives
Kuayle is not the only option. Compare these too, or see every tracker in the full comparison matrix.
- Asana alternative Proprietary · Vendor cloud only
- Trello alternative Proprietary · Vendor cloud only
- Linear alternative Proprietary · Vendor cloud only
- Plane.so alternative AGPL-3.0 · Cloud or self-hosted
- Jira alternative Proprietary · Vendor cloud only
- OpenProject alternative GPL-3.0 · Cloud or self-hosted
ClickUp alternative FAQ
Is there an open source ClickUp alternative?
- Yes. Kuayle is an open source, self-hosted alternative focused on software teams. OpenProject, Plane and Taiga are other open source options.
Can ClickUp be self-hosted?
- No. ClickUp is cloud-only. Kuayle runs on your own server with Docker Compose.
Is there a free ClickUp alternative without limits?
- Kuayle has no paid tier, seat cap or storage quota of its own; limits come only from the server you run it on.
Does Kuayle have docs and whiteboards like ClickUp?
- No. Kuayle is an issue tracker. It has issues, cycles, projects, views and GitHub linking, but no docs or whiteboards.
Can I import from ClickUp?
- There is no built-in importer yet. Export from ClickUp or use its API, then create issues in Kuayle through the API.
Sources
- ClickUp pricing
- ClickUp integrations
- ClickUp MCP server docs
- ClickUp API authentication
- ClickUp webhooks
- Kuayle source code
ClickUp details were checked against ClickUp's own pages on 6 November 2026; Kuayle details against the v0.2.15 source code. Prices are list prices before tax and change over time; the vendor's pricing page is authoritative. This is a snapshot, not an endorsement. Kuayle is developed by Bakney and is not affiliated with ClickUp. ClickUp is a trademark of its owner.