The HacknPlan Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about HacknPlan in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
HacknPlan
The Insider’s Guide
Project management for game developers with a linked design doc
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among project management tools, read from HacknPlan’s own pages.
Made by Mad Cactus Digital SL · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from HacknPlan’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on HacknPlan’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 20 of the 79 other project management tools we grade
HacknPlan is a web-based project management tool made for game development teams. Work is planned on kanban boards split by discipline, such as programming, art, design and audio, and tasks can link to a game design model that acts as a living design document. Milestones, dependencies, time logs and progress metrics are included on every plan, and the paid Studio tier adds Gantt and burndown charts.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about HacknPlan, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You're building the boards, the disciplines and the design model yourself before any of it helps, which is a few evenings' work.
- 1
Best for game teams planning by discipline
HacknPlan is project management for game development, with boards split by discipline and tasks linked to a game design document.
- 2
Paid plans start at about $6.50 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: €5.8 per month for one user, paid yearly (€70).
- 3
There is a free plan
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.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
Milestones and sprints
Boards can run as sprints connected to larger milestones, with a backlog for work that is not yet planned.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 20 of 79
That is against the other project management tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of HacknPlan you could make: tasks, kanban boards, Gantt & timelines, time tracking, documents and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
HacknPlan at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from €5.8 per month for one user, paid yearly (€70)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Personal Plus or Studio can be tried free for up to 30 days, once per user; no card is needed to sign up.
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Mad Cactus Digital SL, since 2015
- Category
- Project Management
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for game teams planning by discipline
HacknPlan is project management for game development, with boards split by discipline and tasks linked to a game design document. The free plan has unlimited projects and users but 500 MB of storage, 5 MB per file and Discord as its only integration. It's web only with no mobile app, the API is in beta, prices are euros before VAT, and Gantt and burndown charts need Studio at €7.5 a seat.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Studio is €7.5 a seat a month paid yearly, €9 monthly, which lands in the middle of what this category charges, and Personal Plus is €5.8 for one user. Prices are euros and exclude VAT. Gantt and burndown charts, data export and templates are Studio only, and every member needs a seat. |
| Free plan and trial | B | The Personal plan is free with unlimited projects and unlimited users per project, plus boards, time logs, the Game Design Model and Discord. Storage is the pinch: 500 MB in all, 5 MB per file, and 1 board filter. |
| Features | C | For game production it covers the job: boards per discipline, a design document whose elements link to tasks, sprints tied to milestones, dependencies across boards, and 3D models previewed in place. That's a narrower job than project management generally, and Gantt, burndown and export sit on Studio. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. You're building the boards, the disciplines and the design model yourself before any of it helps, which is a few evenings' work. At least Personal Plus and Studio can be tried for 30 days with no card. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | A web app and nothing else: the FAQ says there is no mobile app yet and no self-hosted version, so nothing on a phone. It does connect to Discord, Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Google Calendar, and the public API is still in beta. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who HacknPlan is for
- Fits if you're a game studio planning work separately for each discipline
- Works for solo developers and hobby game projects on the free Personal plan, within 500 MB
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you don't make games, because the boards and the design model are built for studios
- Skip it if you want to check tasks on your phone, as it's web only with no mobile app or self-hosted version
- Tight if you're staying free and attach art, with 500 MB of storage, 5 MB per file and Discord as the only integration
- Pricey if you need Gantt or burndown charts, data export or templates, which are Studio only with a seat for every member
- Watch out: prices are in euros and exclude VAT, and the public API is still in beta
Good to know
Good for
- 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
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
~$6.50
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
HacknPlan has a free plan. Paid plans start at €5.8 per month for one user, paid yearly (€70).
Gantt and burndown charts, data export and templates are Studio only, and every member needs a seat.
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.
The free plan
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.
Trying it first
Personal Plus or Studio can be tried free for up to 30 days, once per user; no card is needed to sign up.
Read from hacknplan.com on Oct 9, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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%.
Stated on hacknplan.comEducation
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.
Stated on hacknplan.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Project management for game developers with a linked design doc. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, tasks, kanban boards, Gantt & timelines, time tracking, documents, reports.
That's a narrower job than project management generally, and Gantt, burndown and export sit on Studio.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Discord
- Slack
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Bitbucket
- Google Calendar
HacknPlan is made by Mad Cactus Digital SL, and has been around since 2015.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
20/79
Other project management tools it is graded above
HacknPlan's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 20 of the 79 other project management tools we grade, and level with 21.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 53 of 79) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at about $6.50 a month for each person, against a middle price of $8 for the category: 26 of the 74 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 18 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 80 project management tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. HacknPlan’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 16 of 79
- BFree plan and trialAbove 53 of 79
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 79
- CEase of useAbove 2 of 79
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 79
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 78 project management tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. HacknPlan is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of HacknPlan you could make: tasks, kanban boards, Gantt & timelines, time tracking, documents and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 38 of the 79 other project management tools grade higher. It costs $77.99 a year.
What you could make
- Tasks, kanban boards, Gantt & timelines, time tracking, documents and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Discord, Slack and GitHub among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. HacknPlan’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Codecks, Jira, Trello and Asana
The 4 tools HacknPlan is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Codecks
Free plan · from €6/mo
Card-based project management built for game development studios.
- Codecks is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- HacknPlan also covers kanban boards, Gantt & timelines and documents.
- 3.2GPA
Jira
Free plan · from $9.70/mo
Issue and project tracking for software and business teams.
- Only Jira lists iOS and Android apps.
- HacknPlan also covers time tracking, documents and reports.
- Jira also covers issue tracking and workflow automation.
- 2.8GPA
Trello
Free plan · from $5/mo
Kanban boards with an inbox, planner and built-in automation.
- Only Trello lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- HacknPlan also covers time tracking, documents and reports.
- Trello also covers calendar and workflow automation.
- 3.0GPA
Asana
Free plan · from $10.99/mo
Work management for projects, goals and cross-team workflows.
- Only Asana lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- HacknPlan also covers time tracking, documents and reports.
- Asana also covers workflow automation and goals.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
16
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is HacknPlan free?
HacknPlan has a free plan. 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.
How much does HacknPlan cost?
HacknPlan lists 3 plans. Personal: €0.
What platforms does HacknPlan work on?
HacknPlan is available on Web.
Does HacknPlan offer any discounts?
HacknPlan publicly lists the following: Lower price with yearly billing; Special pricing for universities and schools.
Does HacknPlan have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. HacknPlan is listed for Web.
Does HacknPlan have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. HacknPlan is listed for Web.
Is HacknPlan open source?
HacknPlan is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
Does HacknPlan have an API?
Yes. HacknPlan offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does HacknPlan integrate with?
HacknPlan's listing names Discord, Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Google Calendar.
Does HacknPlan have a student discount?
Special pricing for universities and schools. The pricing page offers special pricing for universities and educational institutions.
Does HacknPlan have a free trial?
Yes. Personal Plus or Studio can be tried free for up to 30 days, once per user; no card is needed to sign up.
Who makes HacknPlan?
HacknPlan is made by Mad Cactus Digital SL. It dates from 2015.
What are the alternatives to HacknPlan?
The closest alternatives to HacknPlan in our directory are Codecks, Jira, Trello and Asana.
How does HacknPlan compare with other project management tools?
HacknPlan's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 20 of the 79 other project management tools we grade, and level with 21.
Is HacknPlan good value for money?
ToolGPA grades HacknPlan C for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $6.50 a month for each person, against a middle price of $8 for the category: 26 of the 74 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of HacknPlan?
The plain part of HacknPlan you could make: tasks, kanban boards, Gantt & timelines, time tracking, documents and reports.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from HacknPlan’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from HacknPlan's own pages on 9 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-09-18.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Mad Cactus Digital SL. Prices change, so check hacknplan.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- HacknPlan, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/hacknplan
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "HacknPlan: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/hacknplan
Know someone choosing between project management tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/hacknplan/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded project management tools after HacknPlan, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Project Management Insider's GuideEvery one of the 80 project management tools we grade, compared
- GitHub Issues Insider's GuideIssue tracking and project planning built into GitHub3.4 GPA
- Freedcamp Insider's GuideProject management suite with a free plan for unlimited users3.2 GPA
- Huly Insider's GuideOpen-source project management with chat, docs and video calls3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what HacknPlan’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. HacknPlan is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Mad Cactus Digital SL. Prices and plans change: check hacknplan.com before you buy.