OpenProject

OpenProject is a comprehensive open-source project management platform developed by OpenProject GmbH, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. With roots going back to 2010 as a fork of the Redmine project, OpenProject has evolved into a sophisticated project management solution used by major enterprises including Siemens, Audi, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, and numerous other organizations that require reliable, secure, and European-hosted project management.

German Engineering and Data Sovereignty

Being headquartered in Berlin places OpenProject firmly under German and EU jurisdiction, with all the data protection benefits this entails. Germany has some of the strictest data protection laws in the world, and German companies have a strong reputation for engineering excellence and reliability. For the cloud-hosted version, data is stored exclusively in German data centers, ensuring compliance with even the most stringent data sovereignty requirements.

OpenProject's use by German government agencies, including federal ministries, demonstrates the platform's security credentials and suitability for handling sensitive information. The company undergoes regular security audits and maintains ISO 27001 certification for its cloud infrastructure.

Classical and Agile Project Management

OpenProject stands out for its ability to support both classical (waterfall) and agile project management methodologies, often simultaneously. The Gantt chart functionality is particularly robust, allowing detailed project scheduling with dependencies, milestones, baselines, and critical path analysis. This makes OpenProject suitable for industries like construction, engineering, and manufacturing where traditional project planning is essential.

For agile teams, OpenProject provides Scrum and Kanban boards with full support for backlogs, sprints, story points, and burndown charts. Teams can manage epics, user stories, tasks, and bugs within an agile framework while still maintaining visibility through traditional project views. This hybrid approach is valuable for organizations that have both agile development teams and traditional project management needs.

Comprehensive Feature Set

OpenProject includes a wide range of features that make it a complete project management solution. Work packages (the core unit of work) can be customized with various types including tasks, features, bugs, milestones, and phases. Time tracking is built-in, allowing team members to log time against work packages for resource planning and billing. Cost management features enable budget tracking and reporting.

The integrated wiki provides a knowledge base for project documentation, and the news and forums features facilitate team communication. File attachments can be managed directly within OpenProject or integrated with Nextcloud for more advanced document management. Meeting management features help organize and document project meetings with agendas and minutes.

Enterprise-Grade Security

OpenProject takes security seriously, which is why it's trusted by organizations like Siemens and government agencies. The platform supports LDAP and SAML authentication for enterprise single sign-on integration. Two-factor authentication can be enforced for all users. Role-based access control provides fine-grained permissions at the project, module, and work package levels.

For organizations requiring the highest level of control, the self-hosted Community Edition provides complete sovereignty over data and infrastructure. Enterprise self-hosted customers can additionally benefit from professional support while maintaining full control over their deployment environment.

Deployment Flexibility

OpenProject offers multiple deployment options to suit different organizational needs. The Community Edition is a fully-featured, free, open-source version that can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure. It's available as packages for major Linux distributions, Docker containers, and can be deployed on any cloud provider or on-premises server.

The Enterprise Cloud edition provides a managed SaaS experience with data hosted in German data centers, automatic updates, and guaranteed uptime. Enterprise on-premises offers the Enterprise features for self-hosted deployments with professional support. This flexibility makes OpenProject accessible to organizations of all sizes, from small teams to large enterprises.

Integrations and API

OpenProject provides a comprehensive REST API that enables integration with other tools and custom workflows. Native integrations exist for Git and SVN version control systems, allowing linking of commits and branches to work packages. Nextcloud integration enables seamless document management. Calendar synchronization works with major calendar applications through CalDAV.

The platform also supports webhooks for real-time event notifications and can be integrated with automation platforms like Zapier and n8n. For development teams, there are plugins for integration with continuous integration systems.

Pricing Structure

OpenProject's pricing is designed to make professional project management accessible. The Community Edition is completely free and includes core project management features including work packages, Gantt charts, boards, time tracking, and the wiki. This makes it an excellent choice for teams that can self-host and don't require enterprise features.

The Enterprise Cloud edition starts at 5.95 euros per user per month (billed annually) and adds features like advanced workflows, baseline comparisons, custom fields, and professional support. The Enterprise on-premises option provides these features for self-hosted deployments. Volume discounts are available for larger deployments.

Limitations to Consider

OpenProject is a feature-rich platform that may have a steeper learning curve than simpler tools like Trello or Asana. The interface, while functional, is not as visually polished as some modern SaaS competitors. Organizations seeking a minimalist task management tool might find OpenProject overwhelming.

Mobile apps are available but are not as fully-featured as the web application. For teams that primarily work on mobile devices, this could be a limitation. Some advanced features like baseline comparisons require the Enterprise edition.

Who Should Use OpenProject

OpenProject is ideal for organizations that need professional project management with European data sovereignty. It's particularly well-suited for enterprises managing complex projects that require both classical and agile methodologies, government agencies and public sector organizations with strict compliance requirements, and engineering and construction firms that rely on Gantt charts and resource planning. The free Community Edition makes it accessible for smaller teams and organizations that can manage their own infrastructure.