Plane vs Tasks.md
| Tagline | Open-source issue tracking, sprints, and roadmaps - a Jira and Linear alternative | Self-hosted file-based task board with full Markdown syntax support |
| Category | Project Management & Kanban | Project Management & Kanban |
| Replaces | Jira, Linear, Asana | Trello, Asana, Linear |
| GitHub stars | 52k | 2.1k |
| Language | TypeScript | Docker |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 2/5 Easy |
| Deploy options | Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual | Docker Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | today | 3 months ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
Plane
- Some advanced features (e.g. certain enterprise workflows, intake, advanced analytics) are gated behind the paid Pro/Enterprise tiers
- Self-hosted community edition lags behind the cloud version on newer features
- Automation rules are far less mature than Jira's
- Mobile apps are less polished than Linear's
Tasks.md
- No multi-user support or access controls; single-user by design
- No due dates, labels, priorities, or rich task metadata beyond Markdown content
- No integrations with external services or developer tools
- Lacks swimlanes, filters, and search capabilities found in Trello or Linear
Bottom line
Choose Tasks.md if you want the lower-effort setup; choose Plane for the larger community and ecosystem. Plane has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Plane
Open-source issue tracking, sprints, and roadmaps - a Jira and Linear alternative