Which to choose: ClickUp or OpenProject for project plans
Choose ClickUp if your team wants one hosted workspace for tasks, docs and automations, and is willing to let the vendor run it. Choose OpenProject if your project plans depend on Gantt charts, agile boards and time tracking, and you need the data to stay on servers you control. The renewal, the data residency rule or the licensing change you are facing usually decides which direction matters more, but the feature inventory decides whether the move is workable. Start by listing the views and fields your plans use today, then check each one against the OpenProject Community edition, which the OpenProject pricing page describes as including work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards.
The decision turns on three checks. First, SSO and portfolio needs: OpenProject lists single sign-on (SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos, Okta), LDAP group synchronization and custom branding in its Enterprise plans, so if your identity provider must gate access, budget for an Enterprise plan from day one. Second, whether Community covers your work: confirm that your reporting, automation and cross-project views exist in the free edition, and test them on a sample project rather than trusting a feature list. Third, who runs the server: OpenProject is installed in your own infrastructure, so someone must own upgrades, backups, database maintenance and the PostgreSQL requirements in the system requirements. If that owner does not exist internally, ask for a written scope from an implementation partner before you commit.
Which option fits which situation
This table matches common ClickUp situations to the OpenProject edition that fits best, with the condition that drives each choice. Read it by finding your main constraint first, then checking the edition column before you size a plan or quote.
| Situation | Better fit | Condition that drives the choice |
|---|---|---|
| Data must stay on our own servers | OpenProject Community or Enterprise on-premises | Self-hosting keeps work packages, attachments and comments in your infrastructure. Confirm the data residency needs of your auditors and your hosting location. |
| We need SAML or OIDC single sign-on | OpenProject Enterprise on-premises | SSO (SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos, Okta) is listed among Enterprise features, not the Community edition. Confirm the exact plan tier in the current pricing page. |
| Mostly Gantt and waterfall planning | OpenProject Community | Gantt charts are included in the free Community edition. Portfolio and resource management need a paid Enterprise plan, so check whether you need them. |
| Agile boards only, few dependencies | OpenProject Community or Plane | OpenProject Community includes agile boards. If your team mainly runs sprints and cycles, compare the workflow model with Plane before committing. |
| Large user count with portfolio reporting | OpenProject Enterprise Premium or Corporate | Portfolio and resource management sit in paid Enterprise plans. Per-user pricing and minimums apply, so request a quote from the written scope. |
| Small team with no operations staff | OpenProject Community with a managed partner | Community is free software, but installation, upgrades and backups remain your job. Budget for administration time or a support retainer before you choose. |
| Migrating existing ClickUp data | Export first, then plan manual or scripted import | OpenProject's Jira Migrator does not cover ClickUp. Confirm the import path with OpenProject before assuming a direct migration. |
Community, Enterprise on-premises and Enterprise cloud
The Community edition is the free, self-hosted tier of OpenProject. It includes the core planning features most ClickUp teams use for project plans: work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards. Support comes from the community rather than from the vendor, so the operating model is your own team or an implementation partner running the platform.
- Core planning: Work packages, Gantt charts and agile boards cover the task and timeline views that ClickUp list and board users rely on.
- Time tracking: Time entries and dashboards are included, which matters if you currently use ClickUp time tracking for billing or capacity reviews.
- Community support: Help comes from public forums and documentation, with no contracted response times.
- Operating cost: The license fee is zero, but you pay for servers, database administration, upgrades and backups.
- Feature gaps: Single sign-on, LDAP group synchronization, SCIM provisioning and portfolio management are not in this tier.
Before you commit, map your ClickUp views, automations and custom fields against the Community feature list and confirm with OpenProject which items need the Enterprise plans.
Enterprise on-premises is a paid subscription for OpenProject installed in your own infrastructure. It is priced per named user per month, with tiers that change at set minimum user counts. The supplied pricing lists Basic at 5.95 euros and Professional at 10.95 euros per user per month with a 25-user minimum, Premium at 15.95 euros with a 100-user minimum, and Corporate on request for 250 or more users.
- Named-user pricing: Cost scales with the number of named users, so count the people who need write access, not every stakeholder who views a report.
- Minimums: Professional requires at least 25 users and Premium at least 100, so small teams should check whether the minimum changes the per-user math.
- Included features: SSO over SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos and Okta, LDAP group synchronization and custom branding are listed for paid tiers.
- Feature placement: The Jira Migrator is listed from Basic upward, so confirm the tier you need if you plan to migrate from Jira as well.
- Quoting: Ask for the subscription term, the tier for your user count, support level and whether volume changes mid-term are billed.
Recurring subscription fees sit alongside your own hosting and administration costs, which are not included in the license.
Enterprise cloud is the hosted version of the paid OpenProject plan, operated by OpenProject rather than by your team. It moves server operations, upgrades and database maintenance to the vendor. For organizations with a data residency or sovereignty requirement, this option means your project data sits in a provider's environment rather than your own, so the choice needs legal and security review.
- Operations: The vendor runs the platform, which reduces the internal administration effort but not the need for user management and configuration.
- Data location: Confirm the hosting region and whether it satisfies your residency or contractual requirements before you sign.
- Feature parity: Check that the Enterprise features you rely on, such as SSO and LDAP group synchronization, are included in the cloud plan you select.
- Exit path: Ask how project data can be exported in full if you later move to self-hosting, since a self-hosted install is the usual baseline for this page.
- Pricing model: Request a written quote that separates the subscription from any migration or onboarding services.
If your reason for leaving ClickUp is control over where data lives, compare this option directly with Enterprise on-premises before deciding.
OpenProject is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3, and OpenProject GmbH develops it. In plain terms, the license lets you install, run and modify the software for your own internal use without paying a license fee for the code itself. The license is about the software, not your data, so your project records remain yours regardless of the edition you pick.
- Internal use: Running OpenProject for your own staff and contractors does not require a commercial license for the Community code.
- Modification: You may change the code, but if you distribute modified versions to others, GPL-3.0 obligations apply, so involve counsel before building a product on top of it.
- Paid features: Enterprise features are sold as subscriptions, so the license fee for the code is not the same as the cost of SSO, LDAP and portfolio management.
- Source access: The source is public on GitHub, which helps security teams review code before deployment.
- Legal review: Ask your legal team to confirm how GPL-3.0 applies to your planned use, especially if you embed OpenProject in other products or services.
As a general rule, check the license terms of any plugin or integration you add, since those may carry their own conditions.
Where your project data lives and who controls access
Moving from ClickUp to self-hosted OpenProject changes who holds the keys to project data, who runs the servers and who proves the controls work. The cards below cover the decisions that follow from that shift, from where the database sits to what a hosted vendor no longer controls.
Data location in your own environment
With OpenProject Community, work packages, attachments, comments and time entries sit in a PostgreSQL database and file storage that you control, in your cloud account, data center or air-gapped network. ClickUp stores this data in its hosted service, so the location question moves from a vendor contract to your own architecture. Confirm which regions and networks your data may use, and whether backups and logs leave that boundary.
Docker, packages and Kubernetes
OpenProject supports three hosting routes: Docker-based installation (the recommended route), .deb and .rpm packages for 64-bit Linux, and Kubernetes with Helm charts for horizontal scaling. Packaged installs support Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, CentOS or RHEL 9.x and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15. Your platform team should choose the route that matches existing patching and change processes, since that choice sets who maintains the operating system, the container images and the upgrade path.
Identity through SSO and LDAP
ClickUp's SAML SSO sits on its higher plans, so access control depends on the plan you buy. OpenProject lists single sign-on (SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos, Okta) and LDAP group synchronization as Enterprise features, while the Community edition relies on local accounts. Map which group memberships grant project roles, and decide whether deprovisioning happens through your directory or by hand. Confirm which of these features your chosen edition includes before you plan the directory design.
Audit and compliance evidence
Regulated teams need to show who changed a project plan and when. OpenProject records history on work packages, but the evidence you present to an assessor depends on log retention, log export and access reviews that you configure and operate. DeployOpen prepares systems, controls and evidence for compliance assessments, but independent auditors and certification bodies issue any audit report or attestation. Ask your assessor early which records they will sample.
Backup responsibility moves to you
ClickUp runs backups as part of its hosted service, while a self-hosted OpenProject install makes your team responsible for database dumps, attachment storage, restore tests and retention periods. Plan for PostgreSQL and file storage together, so that a restored database and its attachments match. Agree recovery objectives with the business before go-live, and test a full restore on a schedule rather than assuming the backup works.
Vendor dependence on a hosted SaaS
A hosted SaaS tool can change pricing, plan features, data regions or retention without your consent in the middle of a project. Self-hosted OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0, so the software can be run, inspected and modified without a vendor's permission, and you can keep running a version you have tested. The trade-off is that upgrades are your task, and the current stable release line, such as 17.9.2, must be planned and tested in your environment.
What running OpenProject yourself requires
Plan the install path before you plan the team. OpenProject recommends a Docker-based installation, and also ships .deb and .rpm packages for 64-bit Linux. Packaged installs are supported on Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, CentOS or RHEL 9.x and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15, so confirm your operating system is on that list before you commit. For horizontal scaling, OpenProject documents Kubernetes with Helm charts, which suits teams that already run a cluster and have people who operate it. Each path carries its own patching, backup and upgrade routine, so choose one standard for your environment rather than mixing them.
The database is the first hard requirement. OpenProject officially supports PostgreSQL 16 or later, and the installation needs the pg_trgm, btree_gist and unaccent extensions enabled. Ask your database team whether your managed or self-run PostgreSQL service allows these extensions, because a missing extension blocks the install. The sizing guide in the system requirements suggests 4 cores and 4 GB RAM for up to 200 users, 8 cores and 8 GB for about 500 users, and 16 cores and 16 GB for about 1,500 users. Treat these as starting points, then load-test with your own project structure, attachments and reporting pattern before you set production capacity.
Running OpenProject is an operating commitment, not a one-time setup. Someone must own system patching, certificate renewal, PostgreSQL maintenance, backups with a tested restore, release upgrades and monitoring. Assign named owners for these tasks, decide who handles on-call requests, and write down the restore time your business accepts. If you use Enterprise plans, the single sign-on and LDAP group synchronization settings also need an identity owner. Internal staff, a managed service partner or a combination can cover this work, and the decision should rest on your own capacity. Ask any implementation or support provider for a written scope that lists each of these duties.
What drives the cost of each option
Comparing ClickUp with self-hosted OpenProject is mostly a comparison of who gets paid for what, and how often. ClickUp bills a recurring per-user subscription, while OpenProject Community carries no licence fee and its costs sit in infrastructure, administration and any paid support or services you choose.
ClickUp per-user subscription
ClickUp charges per user on a plan tier, and that subscription recurs for as long as the seats are active. Pull the current seat count, plan name and billing period from your own invoice rather than from a published list, since terms can change. Check which features your team relies on, such as SAML SSO, SCIM and audit logs, because those sit in higher tiers and drive the number up. Ask whether annual or monthly billing and any add-ons apply to your contract.
OpenProject Community licence
The OpenProject Community edition is free under GPL-3.0 and includes work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards, with community support. The licence cost is zero, so the recurring spend shifts to hosting and staff time. Confirm which features your plan depends on against the current pricing page, because some capabilities sit only in Enterprise plans.
Enterprise per-user fees
Enterprise on-premises is priced per named user per month, with Basic at 5.95 euros and Professional at 10.95 euros (25-user minimum), Premium at 15.95 euros (100-user minimum), and Corporate on request for 250 or more users. These fees recur and apply only if you need single sign-on, LDAP group synchronization or portfolio features. Count named users, not all staff, and ask whether your minimum applies to the tier you select.
Servers, database and backups
Self-hosting moves compute, storage, PostgreSQL and backup costs onto your own or a cloud account, and these recur monthly. OpenProject's sizing guide suggests 4 cores and 4 GB RAM for up to 200 users, with larger sizes as headcount grows. Price the backup target and retention period separately, and test restores, since backup of the database and attachments is a recurring cost you own.
Administration and upgrades
Someone must patch the operating system, apply OpenProject releases, manage Docker or Kubernetes, rotate certificates and watch capacity. This is usually the largest recurring internal cost in a self-hosted model, and it depends on whether you use packaged installs, Docker or Helm. Ask your team who owns on-call, how many hours per month they can commit, and how upgrades are tested before release.
Implementation and migration services
Migration from ClickUp is one-time work: mapping spaces, lists and custom fields, exporting Docs separately, validating data and training users. Because the OpenProject Jira Migrator does not cover Jira Cloud and ClickUp has no matching importer, expect scripted or manual steps. Request a quote from a written scope that lists deliverables, data volumes, integrations and acceptance tests, so the one-time fee is comparable to your recurring savings.
How a ClickUp project plan moves to OpenProject
The sequence turns ClickUp spaces, lists and tasks into OpenProject projects, work packages and dependencies that a team can verify before cutover. Because no ClickUp importer is supplied for OpenProject, each step produces an artifact that a person or script can check.
Inventory spaces, lists and folders in use
A ClickUp workspace admin or project lead lists every space, folder and list that holds live work, along with its owners, active members and open task count. Archived or abandoned lists are marked for exclusion so they do not become migration scope. Done when the team signs off a written inventory that maps each in-scope list to a planned OpenProject project or subproject, and the inventory names who approves each mapping.
Decide which Gantt and dependency data must survive
Project managers identify which timeline data has to carry over, such as start and due dates, task dependencies, milestones and baselines. ClickUp dependency and timeline views do not map one to one onto OpenProject work package relations, so the team should confirm how each dependency type is recreated in OpenProject Community and which items will be rebuilt by hand. Done when the team has a short list of must-keep timeline elements and a written decision on how each one is rebuilt.
Export tasks, comments and attachment links
An administrator exports task data from ClickUp using the export options available on the plan in use, then checks that each export contains the expected task IDs, names, dates, assignees, comments and attachment links. Attachment files are downloaded separately and stored under a naming scheme that the import script can reference. Done when a sample of tasks from each list has been reconciled against the source, and the team holds a complete export set with a record of row counts per list.
Map statuses, custom fields and time entries
A migration lead writes a field map that connects ClickUp statuses to OpenProject statuses and types, ClickUp custom fields to OpenProject custom fields, and ClickUp time entries to OpenProject time entries tied to work packages. Fields with no equivalent are either kept as text in a description or dropped with an approval record. Done when the mapping document is signed off by the project owners and each unmapped field has a stated disposition.
Build and run the import in a test instance
An engineer loads the mapped data into a non-production OpenProject instance using the API or a script written for this purpose, since OpenProject's Jira Migrator is built for Jira and is not an option here. The engineer runs the load several times with the same export set until the results are repeatable. Done when a test load completes, row counts match the export, and a project owner has checked a sample of work packages, relations, comments and attachments against ClickUp.
Confirm access, backups and user acceptance
Administrators configure users, roles and authentication on the test instance. If single sign-on or LDAP group synchronization is required, the team confirms which OpenProject edition provides it before go-live, since these features sit in paid Enterprise plans. Project owners run their own acceptance checks on a copy of the data. Done when named users can sign in, permissions match the mapping document, a backup and restore has been tested, and the owners have approved the test instance in writing.
Cut over and archive ClickUp
The team freezes edits in ClickUp, runs a final export and delta load into production OpenProject, and announces the new location to members. ClickUp content that is not migrated, such as Docs or dashboards, is exported and archived under a documented retention rule. Done when production work is live in OpenProject, a final reconciliation report is filed, and ClickUp is set to read-only or cancelled according to the contract terms the team has confirmed.
Questions buyers ask before switching from ClickUp to OpenProject
What does it cost to move from ClickUp to self-hosted OpenProject?
The software itself is free under the GPL-3.0 license for the Community edition, so the cost is driven by infrastructure, administration, migration work and any paid Enterprise plan. Enterprise on-premises plans are priced per named user per month, with Basic at 5.95 euros and Professional at 10.95 euros (25-user minimum), Premium at 15.95 euros (100-user minimum), and Corporate on request for 250 or more users, according to OpenProject's pricing page. Recurring costs include servers, storage, backups, patching and the Enterprise subscription if you need it. One-time costs include export preparation, data mapping, testing and user onboarding. Ask any provider for a quote that separates these components and states which ones recur each year.
How long does a ClickUp to OpenProject migration take?
The duration depends on how much ClickUp data you move, how cleanly it maps to OpenProject work packages, and how many systems you connect. The main variables are the number of spaces, lists and projects, the custom fields and statuses that need a defined equivalent, the volume of attachments and comments, and whether Docs and automations are rebuilt or archived. Integrations with identity providers, time tracking and file storage add testing cycles. Note that OpenProject's Jira Migrator does not apply to ClickUp, so the transfer is usually a scripted or CSV-based process. Ask for a timeline tied to a written scope, with milestones for mapping, a test import and cutover.
What does the migration require from our own team?
Your team needs to decide what gets moved and what gets retired, because that decision drives most of the effort. Expect to name business owners for each project, approve the mapping of ClickUp statuses, custom fields and task types to OpenProject equivalents, and validate sample data after a test import. Platform administrators must provide hosting, a PostgreSQL 16 or later database with the pg_trgm, btree_gist and unaccent extensions, and identity integration. OpenProject's system requirements also list sizing guidance by user count, which your infrastructure team should review early. Confirm these responsibilities in the written scope so that nobody assumes the other side owns them.
Can our team migrate from ClickUp to OpenProject without outside help?
A team with Linux, container and database experience can install OpenProject and run a limited pilot without outside help. The Docker-based installation is the recommended route, and packaged installs are available for supported Linux distributions. The harder part is the data work: exporting ClickUp data, mapping fields and hierarchies, handling attachments and comments, and verifying that history and permissions survive. Consider whether your staff have the time to maintain the platform, apply upgrades such as the 17.x releases, and run backups and restore tests. Many organizations use an external partner for scope, data mapping and hardening, then keep administration in-house.
Do SSO and audit needs require OpenProject Enterprise?
Single sign-on is a paid feature. OpenProject lists SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos and Okta single sign-on, along with LDAP group synchronization and custom branding, among its Enterprise features. The free Community edition covers work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards, but the pricing page does not present these identity features as part of Community. Confirm with OpenProject which audit logging capabilities each edition includes, because the supplied material does not settle that question. Also check whether SCIM provisioning, which OpenProject places in its paid Enterprise plans, is required for your joiner and leaver process.
What happens to ClickUp Docs and automations during the move?
ClickUp Docs and automations usually do not transfer automatically, so each needs a deliberate decision. ClickUp Docs export one at a time, so a bulk move means planning how documents will be re-homed, for example as wiki pages in a separate knowledge base, and linking them back to work packages. Automation rules have to be rebuilt in OpenProject's own workflow and notification settings, or retired if the process has changed. Create an inventory of Docs, automations, dashboards and integrations before the test import, and agree in writing which items are migrated, rebuilt, archived or dropped. This inventory is often the most useful input for estimating effort.
Does OpenProject cover the Gantt charts and portfolio views we use in ClickUp?
OpenProject's Community edition includes Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards, which cover most day-to-day project plans. Portfolio and resource management sit in paid Enterprise plans, so teams that rely on portfolio roll-ups should confirm those features before committing. Test your heaviest views, such as cross-project timelines and workload reports, against your real data during the pilot. Where a ClickUp view does not have a direct equivalent, record the gap and decide whether to accept it, build a report or use another tool. Ask the implementation provider to document each gap in the written scope.
How DeployOpen helps evaluate, implement and migrate
DeployOpen plans, implements and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. For ClickUp vs OpenProject, the work starts with a written scope that decides which ClickUp spaces, lists and automations map to OpenProject work packages, and which edition your requirements actually need.
How we scope
- Inventory ClickUp spaces, lists, custom fields, dependencies and views that your Gantt and agile plans depend on.
- Confirm which OpenProject edition covers your SSO, LDAP group sync, portfolio and resource needs before any build starts.
- Agree fixed scope, deliverables and timelines in writing, with a quote that follows from that scope.
How we build
- Deploy OpenProject with Docker or packaged installs in your environment, sized against your user count and PostgreSQL requirements.
- Configure projects, work package types, statuses, Gantt views, agile boards and time tracking to mirror your current ClickUp setup.
- Test a migration of a representative project set in a non-production environment, and record gaps such as unsupported ClickUp features.
How we hand over
- Document the installation, configuration, backup procedure and the mapping decisions made for each ClickUp object type.
- Deliver a cutover plan covering exports taken from ClickUp, user accounts, permissions and the parallel-run period.
- Hand over runbooks so your administrators can operate upgrades and restores without depending on DeployOpen.
How we support
- Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as a retainer, scoped separately from the build.
- Track OpenProject release changes and plan upgrades in your environment, including the release notes for each version you run.
- Confirm with your procurement and compliance teams what evidence they need, noting that DeployOpen prepares controls but independent auditors issue any attestation.
