Codecks vs HacknPlan
We give Codecks a 3.2 GPA and HacknPlan a 3.4, out of 4.0. HacknPlan grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Codecks
Card-based project management built for game development studios
HacknPlan
Project management for game developers with a linked design doc
How we grade them
| 3.2GPACodecksVery good | 3.4GPAHacknPlanVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlus is €6 a user a month billed yearly, or €7 monthly, which is about typical for this category. It has unlimited users and projects, and read-only Observers are free. But due dates, time tracking and dependencies need Pro at €9. | BStudio is €7.5 a seat a month paid yearly, or €9 monthly, about typical for this category. Personal Plus is €5.8 a month for one user. Prices are in euros and exclude VAT. Gantt and burndown charts, data export and project templates are Studio only, and every member needs a seat. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for up to 5 users and 3 projects, with cards, decks, milestones, runs and the Discord bot. Fine for a small indie team starting out. But there's 1 GB of storage between you, and no due dates, time tracking or dependencies. | AThe Personal plan is free with unlimited projects and users per project, plus kanban boards, time logs, the Game Design Model and Discord. A hobby team could stay on it. Storage is small, though: 500 MB in all and 5 MB per file, with 1 board filter. |
| Features | AIt does one thing, game production, and does it fully. Hero Cards apply a pipeline of steps and checklists to each new asset, milestones and runs cover the planning, and the Discord bot and Unity and Unreal plugins bring in bug reports. Open Decks share a public roadmap. | AIt does one thing, game production, and does it fully. Separate boards for programming, art, design, audio and production, a design document whose elements link to tasks, sprints tied to milestones, and dependencies across boards. Images and 3D models preview in place. |
| Ease of use | BThere's no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as high as we go. It runs in a browser, and you define a production pipeline once, then it applies itself to each new asset. | BThere's no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as high as we go. It runs in a browser, and you can try Personal Plus or Studio free for up to 30 days with no card needed to sign up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BIt's a web app, and that's the only place it runs. The integrations are aimed squarely at studios: Discord, Slack, Steam, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Unity and Unreal. There's a public API too. | BIt's a web app and nothing else. The FAQ says there's no mobile app yet and no self-hosted version. It connects to Discord, Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Google Calendar, and the public API is still in beta. |
| Best for | game studios running a production pipeline | game teams planning by discipline |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Codecks and HacknPlan. How we grade
Where they differ
- Codecks starts at €6 per user / month, billed yearly (€7 billed monthly). HacknPlan starts at €5.8 per month for one user, paid yearly (€70).
- Codecks is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- HacknPlan also covers kanban boards, Gantt & timelines and documents.
At a glance
| Codecks | HacknPlan | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €6 per user / month, billed yearly (€7 billed monthly) | €5.8 per month for one user, paid yearly (€70) |
| Free plan | Up to 5 users and 3 projects with 1 GB of shared storage and 10 MB per file. No observers, time tracking, due dates or dependencies. | Personal plan: unlimited projects and users per project, kanban boards, time logs, the Game Design Model and Discord integration, with 500 MB of storage, 5 MB per file and 1 board filter. |
| Free trial | 14-day free Pro trial, started from the Billing tab by an owner or admin | Personal Plus or Studio can be tried free for up to 30 days, once per user; no card is needed to sign up. |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Codecks GmbH | Mad Cactus Digital SL |
| Price read from | codecks.io | hacknplan.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Codecks
- Game studios that want a production pipeline modeled for each asset
- Small indie teams, since the free plan covers up to 5 users
- Studios collecting bug reports and ideas from a Discord community
HacknPlan
- Game studios that plan work separately for each discipline
- Solo developers and hobby projects: the Personal plan is free
- Teams that want their design document tied to production tasks
Worth knowing
Codecks
- Prices are listed in euros, both on the pricing page and in the vendor's manual.
- The Free plan stops at 5 users, 3 projects and 1 GB of shared storage.
- Time tracking, due dates, dependencies, guardians and capacity tracking need the Pro plan.
- Self-hosting is offered only on Enterprise, which has a 20-user minimum.
HacknPlan
- Prices are listed in euros only and exclude VAT.
- Web app only: the FAQ says there is no mobile app yet and no self-hosted version, and the public API is still in beta.
- The free plan integrates with Discord only; Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Google Calendar need a paid plan.
- Gantt and burndown charts, data export, teams and project templates are limited to Studio, where every member needs a seat.
Key features
Codecks
- Cards, decks and projects
- Tasks are cards grouped into decks and projects, each with a workflow state, effort, priority, tags and an owner. Doc cards hold design documentation beside the tasks.
- Hero Cards and Journeys
- Define a production pipeline once, with steps, estimates and checklists, and apply it automatically whenever a new asset is created.
- Milestones and Runs
- Plan work against milestones and time-boxed runs. On Pro, Beast Mode marks cards that keep rolling from sprint to sprint without being finished.
- Dependencies and Guardians
- On Pro, cards can be linked as dependencies so the next person is notified when it is their turn, and guardians act as required reviewers for a deck.
- Community feedback
- Decky, the Discord bot, turns ideas and bug reports from a game's community into cards with upvotes and status updates. Unity and Unreal plugins send in-game reports.
- Open Decks
- Share a project's roadmap publicly so players can subscribe, follow progress and leave feedback that flows back into the workspace.
HacknPlan
- Boards per discipline
- Separate kanban boards for programming, art, design, audio and production hold tasks and user stories, with estimations, dates and owners on each item.
- Game Design Model
- A structured game design document whose elements link directly to board tasks, written in a block-based editor that several people can edit at once.
- Milestones and sprints
- Boards can run as sprints connected to larger milestones, with a backlog for work that is not yet planned.
- Dependencies
- Items can be linked as dependencies, including across boards, so blocked work and what it is waiting on are visible.
- Metrics and charts
- Progress and estimation metrics by discipline come with every plan. Gantt timelines, burndown charts and cross-project dashboards need Studio.
- Time logs and attachments
- Time can be logged against tasks on every plan, with a running time tracker from Personal Plus. Attached images and 3D models can be previewed in place.
Plans
Codecks
Free€0
Up to 5 users and 3 projects with 1 GB of shared storage. Includes cards, decks, milestones, runs, hero cards, the Discord bot and Open Decks.
Plus€6
per user / month, billed yearly (€7 billed monthly)
Unlimited users and projects, 1 GB of storage per seat, files up to 250 MB, and read-only Observer users at no charge.
Pro€9
per user / month, billed yearly (€11 billed monthly)
10 GB per seat, plus time tracking, due dates, dependencies, guardians, capacity tracking, beast mode, the producer role and priority support.
Enterprise€15
per user / month, minimum 20 users
Unlimited storage, tailored onboarding and the option to self-host on your own infrastructure. Arranged by contacting the company.
HacknPlan
Personal€0
Kanban boards, estimations, time logs, the Game Design Model, metrics and Discord integration. 500 MB of storage and 5 MB per file.
Personal Plus€5.8
per month for one user, paid yearly (€70); €7 paid monthly
Adds permissions, the time tracker, custom categories and columns, unlimited board filters and Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Google integrations. 2 GB of storage.
Studio€7.5
per seat / month, paid yearly (€90); €9 paid monthly
A team workspace with central billing, roles, read-only guests, project templates, cross-project dashboards, data export, and Gantt and burndown charts. 5 GB per seat.
Ways to pay less
Codecks
- Annual discount
Save up to 18% with yearly billing
Pro is €9 per user a month billed yearly against €11 billed monthly, and Plus is €6 against €7. Enterprise is €15 on either basis.
- Education
Free Pro accounts for students and educators
Students and educators who sign up with a school email and fill out the vendor's form get a free Pro account once verified. Educational accounts can have up to 100 users.
- Nonprofit
50% off Plus and Pro for nonprofits
Nonprofits get 50% off the Plus and Pro plans after emailing the company with their account name and information about the organization.
- Other savings
Observer users are free
On Plus and Pro, any number of read-only Observer users can view cards and comment without taking a paid seat.
HacknPlan
- Annual discount
Lower price with yearly billing
The pricing page tags yearly billing as 20% off. Its listed prices, €70 a year against €7 a month for Personal Plus and €90 against €9 per seat for Studio, work out to about 17%.
- Education
Special pricing for universities and schools
The pricing page offers special pricing for universities and educational institutions. No figures are published; terms are arranged by contacting the company.
