Trello alternative
The open source, self-hosted Trello alternative for software teams
Trello is a simple, hosted board tool. When a software team needs real issues, cycles, projects and GitHub linking, it often outgrows cards. Kuayle is a self-hosted tracker under Apache 2.0 with board and list layouts, and no per-seat price.
At a glance
- Licence
Trello: Proprietary
Kuayle: Apache 2.0
- Hosting
Trello: Vendor cloud only
Kuayle: Self-hosted
- Pricing
Trello: From $5 per user a month
Kuayle: Free, no paid tier
- Difference
- Trello is hosted boards and cards; Kuayle is a full issue tracker with boards, on your own server.
Why teams look for a Trello alternative
Free plan limits
Trello Free allows 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace.
Exports need Premium
Board CSV export and full Workspace export require Premium.
SSO is extra
SAML SSO needs an Atlassian Guard subscription from $4 per user a month, unless you are on Enterprise.
Cloud only
Trello is offered only as Atlassian-hosted software.
Kuayle vs Trello, side by side
| Topic | Trello | Kuayle |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | No Proprietary. | Yes Apache 2.0. The full source is in one public repository. |
| Hosting | No Atlassian’s cloud only. | Yes Self-hosted with Docker Compose (Caddy, PostgreSQL, Redis, API, frontend). There is no hosted Kuayle service. |
| Pricing | In part Free for 10 collaborators; Standard $5 and Premium $10 per user a month billed yearly. | 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 SAML through Atlassian Guard (extra), included on Enterprise. | No Email and password sign-in with invite links. No SSO (SAML/OIDC), SCIM, passkeys or magic links yet. |
| AI and agents | In part AI quick capture and summaries from Standard; AI on boards from Premium. | 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 Trello MCP server on all plans. | No No MCP server yet. |
| API and webhooks | Yes REST API with webhooks. | In part HTTP API with scoped, expiring personal access tokens, plus HMAC-signed webhooks. No published OpenAPI reference yet. |
| Git integrations | In part GitHub Power-Up links branches, commits and pull requests to cards. | 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. |
| Issue model | In part Cards with checklists, labels, due dates and members. | Yes Multiple assignees, sub-issues, relations, labels, priorities, due dates, templates, team-specific statuses and title/description version history. |
| Planning | In part Boards, plus timeline, calendar and dashboard views on Premium. | In part Cycles with burndown, velocity and carry-over; cross-team projects; workspace and team analytics. No initiatives or configurable dashboards. |
What Trello costs a year compared with Kuayle
| Team | Trello Standard | Trello Premium | Kuayle licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | $300 | $600 | $0 |
| 20 people | $1,200 | $2,400 | $0 |
| 50 people | $3,000 | $6,000 | $0 |
| 100 people | $6,000 | $12,000 | $0 |
Moving from Trello to Kuayle
- 01
Export from Trello
Export each board as JSON on any plan (CSV needs Premium), or read cards through the Trello 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 Trello importer yet. Script the move of open issues with a scoped personal access token, or start fresh with active work and keep Trello read-only for history.
When to stay on Trello, and when to choose Kuayle
Stay on Trello if
- Simple boards and cards are all your team needs.
- You want a hosted tool with nothing to operate.
- Non-technical teams share the same boards.
Choose Kuayle if
- You need issues with sub-issues, relations, cycles and projects, not only cards.
- GitHub pull requests should move issues automatically.
- Data must stay on your own servers, with no collaborator cap.
Other Trello alternatives
Kuayle is not the only option. Compare these too, or see every tracker in the full comparison matrix.
Trello alternative FAQ
Is there an open source Trello alternative?
- Yes. Kuayle is an open source, self-hosted issue tracker with board and list layouts. WeKan and Kanboard are open source board tools closer to Trello itself.
Can Trello be self-hosted?
- No. Trello is Atlassian-hosted only. Kuayle runs on your own server with Docker Compose.
Is Kuayle as simple as Trello?
- Kuayle has board and list layouts, but it is an issue tracker with teams, cycles and projects, so it has more structure than Trello.
Can I import Trello boards into Kuayle?
- There is no Trello importer yet. Export boards to JSON and create issues through Kuayle’s API.
Sources
- Trello pricing
- Trello data export
- Trello REST API
- Trello MCP
- Trello GitHub Power-Up
- Kuayle source code
Trello details were checked against Trello'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 Trello. Trello is a trademark of its owner.