OpenProject vs Orangescrum (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick OpenProject: it is third in our ranking of project management tools, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
OpenProject grades higher on the free plan and features. Orangescrum grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OpenProject
Open-source project management for classic and agile teams
Orangescrum
Project management with unlimited users on every paid plan
Which one is for you
Pick OpenProject if
- Fits if your organization wants to self-host an open-source project tool and has someone to run the server
- Works for teams mixing Gantt-based planning with Scrum or Kanban, with cloud data hosted in the EU
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free hosted plan, as the cloud starts at paid Basic with a 5-user minimum
- Pricey if you're a small team needing single sign-on, since Professional requires at least 25 users at $13.50 each
- Not for you if you'd run projects from your phone, because the mobile apps are beta companions to the web app
- Tight if you want portfolios or resource management, which need Premium with at least 100 users
- Watch out: on-premises Enterprise plans start at 25 users and a one-year term, and SCIM is Corporate only
Pick Orangescrum if
- Fits if you have a big or changing team and want to stop paying per seat
- Works for teams that want to host their own copy, from $1,500 a year for up to 25 users
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you are staying free: 1 user and 1 project
- Watch out: Basic is capped at 10 projects, and agile boards, timesheets and budgets are on Pro at $62
- Pricey if you need resource allocation or program management, which start on Premium at $297 a month
- Watch out: self-hosting starts at $1,500 a year for 25 users and needs your own server
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAOpenProjectGood | 2.4GPAOrangescrumFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CCloud Basic is $7.25 a user a month billed yearly, $8.50 monthly, which is mid-pack for this category, and it holds you to 5 users. The steps up carry big minimums: Professional $13.50 from 25 users, Premium $19.50 from 100. Self-hosting the Community edition costs nothing but your servers. | BBasic is $26 a month billed yearly for unlimited users, about $5.20 each for a team of five, inside the cheapest quarter. But it caps at 10 projects, and the agile and time tools need Pro at $62 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree means hosting it: the Community edition has no user minimum and keeps Gantt charts, agile boards, Scrum backlogs, time tracking, wiki and meetings. Support is community only, and there's no free cloud, just a 14-day trial. | CFree for 1 user and 1 project with 500 MB of storage, plus a 14-day trial of the paid cloud plans with no card needed. |
| Features | BWork packages on Gantt charts with relations and automatic or manual scheduling, Kanban and sprint boards with a backlog and burndown charts, time and costs against budgets, meeting minutes linked to the work, and a wiki. Both planning styles covered; portfolios and resource management wait for Premium. | CKanban, Gantt, milestones, time and budgets, with self-hosting and an open source core. Agile boards and timesheets are Pro, and program management and resource allocation are Premium. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. The paid cloud is hosted for you in the EU, but this is a big tool with work package types, roles and statuses to arrange, and the free edition is a Linux server job: DEB or RPM packages, Docker, Kubernetes or Helm. | CNo store rating on record. A project tool with boards and workflows to set up, and a self-hosted option that needs a server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb with iPhone and Android apps, and no desktop app. The phone apps are in beta and the vendor calls them companions to the web version. It connects to Nextcloud, GitHub, GitLab and Excel, with OneDrive, SharePoint and an MCP server from Professional. | BWeb, iOS and Android, with GitHub, GitLab, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams and Jenkins links. No desktop app on record. |
| Best for | self-hosting classic and agile planning | teams that want one flat price however many people join |
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: OpenProject and Orangescrum. How we grade
Price against what you get
OpenProject starts at $7.25 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Orangescrum starts at $26 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
OpenProject scores higher and starts $18.75 a month lower. Of the other project management tools on the chart, 12 score higher than OpenProject for less, and 53 score higher than Orangescrum for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- OpenProject also covers wiki.
- Orangescrum also covers tasks.
At a glance
| OpenProject | Orangescrum | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7.25 per user / month, billed yearly (5-user minimum) | $26 per month for unlimited users, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Community edition: free and open source, installed on your own servers, with no user minimum and community support only. It is not offered as a hosted cloud plan. | Free Forever: 1 user, 1 project, Kanban board and 500 MB storage. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Enterprise cloud, or a 14-day trial license for a self-hosted installation | 14-day free trial of the paid cloud plans, no credit card required. |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | OpenProject GmbH | Orangescrum |
| Price read from | openproject.org | orangescrum.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
OpenProject
- The free Community edition is self-hosted only. The hosted cloud starts at the paid Basic plan with a 5-user minimum.
- Professional requires at least 25 users and Premium at least 100. On-premises Enterprise plans start at 25 users and a one-year term.
- Single sign-on needs Professional or higher, and SCIM provisioning is limited to the Corporate plan.
- The iOS and Android apps are in beta and described by the vendor as companions to the web application.
Orangescrum
- The free plan is limited to 1 user and 1 project.
- Basic is capped at 10 projects; agile boards, timesheets and budgets need Pro.
- Premium costs $297 a month billed yearly, a steep jump from Pro.
- Self-hosted pricing starts at $1,500 a year for up to 25 users.
Key features
OpenProject
- Work packages and Gantt charts
- Work is broken into work packages such as tasks, features, phases and milestones, then scheduled on Gantt charts with relations and automatic or manual scheduling.
- Agile boards and Scrum
- Kanban, team, version and subproject boards, a product backlog, sprint boards, story points and burndown charts are all part of the free Community edition.
- Time tracking, costs and budgets
- Time is logged on work packages, unit and labor costs are tracked against budgets, and reports break down spent time and costs.
- Meetings, wiki and documents
- Meeting agendas and minutes link to work packages, and a wiki, forums and collaboratively edited documents hold project information in one place.
- Self-hosting or vendor cloud
- The Community edition installs on your own Linux servers from DEB or RPM packages, Docker, Kubernetes or Helm charts. Enterprise cloud is hosted by OpenProject in the EU.
- Tiered Enterprise add-ons
- Paid plans unlock extra features by tier: the team planner on Basic, single sign-on on Professional, and portfolio and resource management on Premium.
Orangescrum
- Flat pricing for unlimited users
- Each cloud plan has one monthly fee however many people use it.
- Kanban and Gantt
- Boards, Gantt charts with dependencies, milestones and a project calendar, with Gantt starting on the paid cloud plans.
- Agile tools
- Pro adds a sprint board, backlog, velocity and burndown charts.
- Time and budget
- Timer, weekly timesheets with approval, and project budgets from Pro; cost reports and invoices from Premium.
- Self-hosted and open source
- The vendor offers a self-hosted edition and an open-source Community Edition under AGPL.
- AI and MCP
- The vendor lists an AI assistant and an MCP server for connecting AI clients.
Plans
OpenProject
CommunityFree
Self-hosted open-source edition with no user minimum: Gantt charts, agile boards, Scrum backlogs, time tracking, wiki and meetings, with community support.
Basic$7.25
per user / month, billed yearly ($8.50 monthly, cloud only)
From 5 users in the cloud or 25 on-premises. Adds the Basic Enterprise add-ons, such as the team planner, baseline comparisons and a custom theme, plus email support.
Professional$13.50
per user / month, billed yearly
Minimum 25 users. Adds single sign-on, OneDrive and SharePoint integration, sharing work packages with external users, the MCP server and phone support.
Premium$19.50
per user / month, billed yearly
Minimum 100 users. Adds portfolio management, resource management, LDAP user and group sync, and remote-hands support.
CorporateCustom
Priced on request and recommended from 250 users. Adds SCIM provisioning, XWiki and openDesk integrations, and a dedicated support engineer.
Orangescrum
Free Forever$0
1 user, 1 project, Kanban board and 500 MB storage.
Basic Unlimited$26
per month for unlimited users, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)
10 projects and 50 GB storage with tasks, Kanban, Gantt, milestones and a project calendar.
Pro Unlimited$62
per month for unlimited users, billed yearly ($69 billed monthly)
Unlimited projects and 100 GB; adds agile boards, custom workflows, automation, timesheets, workload and budgets.
Premium Unlimited$297
per month for unlimited users, billed yearly ($349 billed monthly)
500 GB; adds program management, critical path, resource allocation, invoices, advanced dashboards and APIs.
EnterpriseCustom
1 TB storage plus SSO and LDAP, two-factor sign-in, custom reports and dedicated support.
Self-Hosted Core$1,500
per year for up to 25 users, hosted on your own servers
Business is $2,250 a year for up to 50 users; Enterprise is by quote.
Ways to pay less
OpenProject
- Annual discount
Yearly billing is $1.25 per user cheaper
Cloud Basic can be billed monthly for an extra $1.25 per user / month, so a one-year subscription costs $7.25 instead of $8.50 per user / month.
- Other savings
Free months on multi-year subscriptions
The pricing calculator lists 5 months free on a 2-year subscription, 8 on 3 years, 11 on 4 years and 15 on 5 years.
- Education
Special rates for educational institutions
OpenProject states that it offers discounted rates for educational institutions. No percentage is published; eligibility is checked by its sales team.
- Nonprofit
Special rates for NGOs
The same pricing page offers discounted rates for NGOs on request, again without a published percentage.
Orangescrum
- Annual discount
Save about 10% with yearly billing
The page marks yearly billing as saving 10%; Basic is $26 a month billed yearly against $29 monthly.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit and education discount
10% off any plan plus a 60-day trial for nonprofit or education customers.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OpenProject or Orangescrum?
As of Nov 12, 2026, OpenProject is cheaper to start with: $7.25 a month for each person, against $26 a month for each person for Orangescrum. OpenProject starts at $7.25 per user / month, billed yearly (5-user minimum), and Orangescrum starts at $26 per month for unlimited users, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, OpenProject or Orangescrum?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both OpenProject and Orangescrum have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.