Wrike vs OpenProject: when each option fits
Wrike suits teams that want a managed SaaS product with its own request forms and workload views, while OpenProject suits teams that need project plans, Gantt charts and time tracking on their own infrastructure. For a PMO facing a renewal, a data residency requirement or a need to control where project data is held, the choice is less about feature parity and more about where the platform runs and who operates it. Start by listing the Wrike features your PMO uses every week, such as request intake, workload balancing or custom reporting, and mark which ones have a direct equivalent in OpenProject's work packages, Gantt charts, baselines and time tracking. Features without an equivalent need a workaround, a separate tool or a decision to drop them.
Next, check whether you need features that sit in OpenProject's paid Enterprise plans. The pricing page lists SSO, LDAP synchronization and SCIM provisioning there, along with portfolio and resource management, so a PMO that depends on centralized identity or resource planning across many programs should price an Enterprise plan into its comparison from the start. Teams with a small group of users and no identity integration requirements may find the free Community edition sufficient for core planning. Confirm with OpenProject which plan includes each capability you need, since plan contents can change between releases. Also confirm whether the Wrike request forms and workload views you rely on have a practical substitute, because OpenProject will not reproduce them one for one.
The final question is operational: who will run the platform after go-live. A self-hosted OpenProject instance needs someone to handle installation, PostgreSQL administration, upgrades, backups and access control, and that work recurs for as long as the system is in use. Ask your infrastructure team whether it can own that routine, or whether a implementation partner such as DeployOpen should plan, harden and support the deployment under a written scope. If nobody can own the platform, a managed SaaS product may still be the better fit, even when data residency is a concern. Make that call before you start any export, because the answer determines how much migration effort and ongoing administration you are actually signing up for.
Which option fits which PMO scenario
This table matches common PMO situations to the option that usually fits better, with the reason in one sentence. Read it as a starting point: each row depends on your data, identity setup and staffing, and the OpenProject Enterprise rows assume a paid plan.
| PMO scenario | Better fit | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Data must stay in a specific region under GDPR or sector rules | Self-hosted OpenProject in your own or an EU provider's data center | OpenProject runs in infrastructure you control, so data location and vendor access are decided by your own contracts and architecture. |
| Renewal quote rises sharply and the team needs a fixed cost base | OpenProject Community or Enterprise on-premises | Community is free to license, while Enterprise is priced per named user per month, so you can compare the two models with your own user counts. |
| Request intake forms are central to how work arrives | Wrike, or OpenProject with a separate intake tool | OpenProject's work packages cover tracking well, but confirm whether its forms and intake flows meet your request volume before committing. |
| Team mostly tracks tasks, dates, dependencies and Gantt plans | OpenProject | Work packages, Gantt charts, baselines and time tracking map directly to this kind of planning. |
| SSO, LDAP group sync or SCIM provisioning is a hard requirement | OpenProject Enterprise on-premises | SSO, LDAP synchronization and SCIM provisioning sit in paid Enterprise plans, so budget for that tier from the start. |
| Portfolio and resource management across many programs | OpenProject Enterprise, after a fit check | Portfolio and resource management are Enterprise features, so confirm they cover your roll-up and capacity views before migrating. |
| No platform engineering staff to run servers and upgrades | Wrike or a managed OpenProject Enterprise cloud, or self-hosting with a partner | Self-hosting adds patching, backups, database upkeep and upgrades, so a PMO without that capacity should plan for a support arrangement. |
What OpenProject covers from Wrike's planning features
Start by mapping how your PMO uses Wrike's planning features onto OpenProject's work packages, which take the place of tasks and carry dates, assignees, relations and status. Each work package can sit in a hierarchy, be linked by predecessor and successor relations, and be shown on a Gantt chart that PMO staff can use to review schedule dependencies. The Community edition includes work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards, so a team can run a single-project plan without a license fee. Confirm that your current Wrike Gantt views, such as dependencies and critical path expectations, match what the Community Gantt view shows before you rely on it for reporting.
Baselines are the feature most PMOs use to compare plan against actual, so test them with a real project before migration. Check whether baseline snapshots of dates, and the variance they produce, can be captured and reported the way your governance meetings expect. Time tracking and dashboards are also in Community, which covers effort logging against work packages. Portfolio and resource management are not in Community. They sit in the paid Enterprise plans listed on the OpenProject pricing page, so any PMO view that depends on cross-project capacity needs an Enterprise quote before you commit.
Two Wrike areas need a hands-on test against your own processes: request forms and workload views. Request forms are often how intake reaches a PMO, and you should build a sample intake in OpenProject and confirm that required fields, routing and approvals match your current flow. Workload views depend on how your team records allocation, so load a representative set of users and check that the resulting view supports the staffing decisions you make today. Where either gap is material, document the workaround or the Enterprise feature that closes it before the migration plan is approved.
How Wrike and OpenProject compare on planning features
This table compares the planning capabilities a PMO relies on in Wrike with what OpenProject provides, based on supplied product facts. Where a Wrike function is described only at the topic level or depends on plan tier, the cell says what to confirm in your own account, so treat those rows as a checklist rather than a final verdict. The main takeaway is that OpenProject covers core planning well on Community, while portfolio, resource and SSO features sit in paid Enterprise plans.
| Capability | Wrike | OpenProject |
|---|---|---|
| Project and task structure | Projects, folders and tasks with assignees and custom fields; confirm hierarchy depth on your plan | Work packages organized in projects with types, statuses and custom fields; free on Community |
| Gantt charts | Gantt view for project scheduling; confirm dependency and critical path options in your plan | Gantt charts included in the free Community edition |
| Baselines | Confirm baseline capability and how it is saved and compared in your Wrike plan | Baselines available; confirm the exact behavior against your reporting needs in a trial |
| Dependencies | Task dependencies supported; confirm types offered on your plan | Relations between work packages supported; confirm the relation types you need |
| Time tracking | Time logging on tasks; confirm reporting granularity on your plan | Time tracking included in the free Community edition |
| Dashboards | Dashboards and reports; confirm which widgets and sharing rules apply to your plan | Dashboards included in the free Community edition |
| Request or intake forms | Request forms available; confirm whether they exist on your plan and how they route work | Not covered by supplied facts; confirm whether a form-based intake meets your needs |
| Workload and resource views | Workload view for capacity; confirm exact functions and plan tier | Portfolio and resource management sit in paid Enterprise plans; confirm the views included |
| Portfolio reporting | Portfolio-level reporting on higher tiers; confirm what your plan includes | Portfolio and resource management in paid Enterprise plans |
| SSO and SCIM | Enterprise identity features; confirm SSO and SCIM provisioning on your plan | SSO and SCIM provisioning are in paid Enterprise plans; LDAP group synchronization is also Enterprise |
| API and export access | Excel export and API access; confirm row limits and API scope on your plan | Open API and Jira migration tooling in beta; confirm import and export paths for your data |
Where project data lives under each option
Moving from Wrike to OpenProject changes who hosts the data, who can administer it and who must prove the controls work. The cards below cover each of these decisions in turn, so a PMO can confirm each point with Wrike, its own infrastructure team and its compliance function before choosing.
Wrike account hosting and region changes
Wrike is a hosted service, so the account's data location is set by the vendor, not by your team. Ask Wrike in writing which data center holds your account today, whether it is tied to your contract region, and what process and timeline apply to move it. Record the answer, including any sub-processors that handle project data, because it sets the baseline you are replacing.
OpenProject in your own environment
OpenProject runs wherever your team operates it: your data center, a cloud account you control, or an EU provider's facility. Docker is the recommended install, with .deb and .rpm packages for 64-bit Linux and Kubernetes with Helm charts for scaling. Confirm that your chosen operating system is on the supported list before you size the hardware, since the supported distributions differ from a typical cloud default.
Database and attachment storage
Project data in OpenProject sits in a PostgreSQL database and file storage that your team backs up and restores. OpenProject officially supports PostgreSQL 16 or later and requires the pg_trgm, btree_gist and unaccent extensions, so check those in your database platform before installation. Confirm where attachments are written, how they are included in backups, and who can read the database directly.
Administrative access to the platform
In Wrike, the vendor operates the service and your account administrators manage users and settings within it. In a self-hosted OpenProject, your team holds root access to the servers, the database and the admin account, which is an operational gain and a new responsibility. Document who holds each role, how privileged access is granted and removed, and whether vendor support staff ever get access to your instance.
Identity through SSO and LDAP
Single sign-on for OpenProject, covering SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos and Okta, and LDAP group synchronization are listed among the paid Enterprise features, and SCIM provisioning is also part of the paid plans. Without an Enterprise plan, user accounts and group membership must be managed inside OpenProject. Confirm which plan your identity design requires before you commit to a rollout.
GDPR and audit evidence you produce
Under a self-hosted model, your organization is the controller of the data and must be able to show how access, retention, backups and deletion are handled. DeployOpen can prepare the controls, configurations and evidence for a compliance assessment, but it does not issue audit reports, attestations or certifications. Independent auditors and certification bodies perform that assessment, so agree in advance which evidence each one will need.
Licensing and editions that change the decision
OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and developed by OpenProject GmbH, and the licence alone does not settle the cost question. The product comes in three forms: a free Community edition with work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards, backed by community support; Enterprise on-premises, which you run in your own infrastructure; and Enterprise cloud, which OpenProject hosts. Before you size a budget, decide which of these fits your data residency and support needs, because the Community edition has no paid support tier behind it.
Enterprise on-premises is priced per named user per month on the OpenProject pricing page. Basic is listed at 5.95 euros and Professional at 10.95 euros, with a 25-user minimum on Professional. Premium is listed at 15.95 euros with a 100-user minimum, and Corporate is quoted on request for 250 or more users. Count named users, not total staff. Ask the vendor whether guest, viewer or stakeholder accounts are billed, and whether the minimum applies even if your active project group is smaller. Confirm the current figures on the pricing page before you model them, since prices change.
Several controls that PMOs often expect as baseline sit in paid Enterprise plans: SSO through SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos or Okta, LDAP group synchronization, SCIM provisioning and portfolio and resource management. If your identity provider already enforces access, check whether you can accept Community-level access control or whether SSO and provisioning are a condition of approval. Wrike sells its features in a different tier structure, so do not compare list prices directly. Work out your own seat count, the number of users who need edit rights versus view rights, and which plan per seat includes the controls you need, then compare totals with the OpenProject tier that covers the same count.
What drives the cost of a self-hosted Wrike alternative
The Wrike subscription is a recurring cost billed under the plan and seat terms in your contract. Wrike covers hosting, backups, upgrades and vendor support, so your internal cost is mainly the time your team spends on administration and exports. Pricing details are not part of this page, so confirm the current figures with Wrike and your procurement team before comparing them with any self-hosted option.
- Per-user billing: Confirm how Wrike counts seats, including guest, external and inactive users, because this line scales with headcount.
- Plan tier: Features such as BI Export or full account backups depend on the plan you pay for, so list only the features you actually use when you size a replacement.
- Renewal terms: Check multi-year commitments, price uplift clauses and true-up charges in writing.
- Exit and export effort: Extracting tasks, dependencies and attachments is one-time staff work that sits outside the subscription.
- Hidden administration: Time spent by your Wrike administrators on permissions, templates and request forms is already funded, and it is easy to overlook in a comparison.
Before you compare, ask Wrike for the notice period, the data return terms after termination and the number of seats billed in your last renewal.
OpenProject Community is free to license under GPL-3.0, so the cost is the infrastructure and staff time you put behind it. Hosting is recurring, and the main variable is user count. Setup, data migration and initial configuration are one-time costs. Community support is community-based, so incident response depends on your own staff or a partner you retain.
- Compute by user band: The system requirements sizing guide 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. Your band sets the recurring server cost.
- Database and backups: OpenProject requires PostgreSQL 16 or later with the pg_trgm, btree_gist and unaccent extensions. Backup, restore testing and storage growth recur each month.
- Upgrades and patching: Point releases such as 17.7.0, 17.8.0, 17.9.0 and 17.9.2 arrived within a few months in the release notes, so plan recurring staff time for testing and rollout.
- Availability design: Uptime targets drive whether you run a single node or a scaled deployment, which changes hosting and monitoring costs.
- Community support only: Without a support contract, budget for internal expertise or a retained partner for production incidents.
Ask your team to map your expected user count to a sizing band and to estimate how many hours per month go to upgrades and backups.
OpenProject Enterprise on-premises adds a recurring subscription on top of the Community cost structure. The pricing page bills per named user per month, with tier minimums and a Corporate tier on request for larger organizations. Single sign-on, LDAP group synchronization, SCIM provisioning and portfolio and resource management sit in the paid plans, so the tier you choose affects both license cost and which features you can use.
- Named-user subscription: The listed prices are Basic at 5.95 euros, Professional at 10.95 euros and Premium at 15.95 euros per named user per month. Illustrative example: 40 named users on Professional would be 40 multiplied by 10.95 euros per month before taxes and any contract adjustments.
- Tier minimums: Professional requires at least 25 users and Premium at least 100, so small teams may pay for a higher tier than their seat count suggests.
- Enterprise features: Confirm which tier includes SAML, OIDC, Kerberos, Okta, LDAP group synchronization, SCIM and portfolio management before you commit.
- Unchanged infrastructure: Hosting, database and backup costs from the Community tab still apply, and they continue to scale with users.
- Quote scope: Ask whether support, upgrades and the Jira Migrator are included at your tier, since the migrator is listed from Basic upward but is for Jira projects.
Request a written quote that states named users by tier, the minimum applied, the currency, VAT treatment, renewal terms and whether Corporate pricing applies to your count.
What moving from Wrike to OpenProject involves
The sequence turns a live Wrike account into a tested OpenProject instance on your own servers, with data, workflows and access checked at each stage before Wrike is retired.
Inventory live projects, templates and fields
A project lead or Wrike administrator lists which projects, folders, request forms, custom fields, statuses and workflows are still in use, and which are archived or duplicated. Mark each one as migrate, rebuild or retire. Ask Wrike support or check your admin console for the plan tier, because it determines which export routes you can use. The inventory is done when every live project has an owner and a target decision, and the list of custom fields that need a home in OpenProject is agreed.
Export tasks, dependencies, assignees and dates
Export each in-scope project to Excel from Wrike, keeping task names, IDs, parent tasks, dependencies, assignees, start and due dates, and status. Wrike's Excel export has a 65,000-row limit, so split any larger project by folder or by date range and record which export file covers which rows. Check a sample of exported rows against Wrike's Gantt view to confirm dependencies and dates came across correctly. The step is complete when every file is saved with a row count that matches the source.
Pull attachments from a full account backup
Attachments and comments are not part of the standard Excel export, so use Wrike's full account backup on the plan tiers that include it. Confirm with Wrike whether your plan qualifies before you rely on it. Store the backup in a restricted location, because it contains customer and employee content. Verify that a sample of files opens and maps back to the correct task IDs from the spreadsheet. This step is done when attachments can be matched to tasks.
Install and harden OpenProject on your infrastructure
Install OpenProject in your own or your provider's environment, using the Docker-based installation the vendor recommends or a supported packaged install. Set up PostgreSQL with the extensions the system requirements list, configure TLS, backups and administrator access, and size the server from the vendor's guide for your user count. If you need SSO, LDAP group synchronization or SCIM provisioning, confirm these are included in the Enterprise plan you select. The step is complete when a test instance runs, backups restore successfully and access controls are documented.
Map statuses, types and roles
Translate Wrike's statuses, task and folder structures, and user roles into OpenProject statuses, work package types, project roles and custom fields. Write the mapping as a table signed off by the PMO and by the teams that use it. Decide early which Wrike features have no direct equivalent, such as request forms and some workload views, and record how each gap will be handled. The output is an approved mapping document that the load step follows.
Load data through Excel synchronization and check it
Import the spreadsheets through OpenProject's Excel synchronization feature, using a test project first. Confirm with the vendor documentation for your OpenProject version how the import handles dependencies, assignees, dates and parent tasks, because behavior changes between releases. Compare work package counts, dates and assignees against the Wrike exports, and attach the matched files. Record every row that failed and why. The step is complete when the test project reconciles with the source and the error list is resolved or accepted.
Rebuild workflows, custom fields and reports
Recreate approval steps, custom fields, Gantt baselines, views and dashboards that the PMO relies on. This is usually the largest part of the effort, because Wrike's request forms, workload views and reporting are often built by hand and do not transfer as data. Validate each rebuilt report against the numbers it produced in Wrike for the same period. The step is done when the PMO signs off on the reports and workflows that replace the Wrike versions.
Run a parallel pilot, then retire Wrike access
Run one or two pilot projects in OpenProject while the same work continues in Wrike for a defined period agreed by the PMO. Collect feedback on usability, notifications and permissions, and fix gaps. When the pilot exits, freeze new work in Wrike, take a final export and backup, and remove user access in a documented sequence. Keep the final archive under your retention policy. The step is complete when the cutover checklist is signed off and access revocation is recorded.
Questions PMOs ask before moving from Wrike
How much does it cost to move from Wrike to a self-hosted OpenProject?
The software itself has no licence fee on the Community edition, so the cost is made up of hosting, the people who install and administer the system, the migration work and any Enterprise subscription you choose. The OpenProject pricing page lists Enterprise on-premises plans priced per named user per month, with Basic, Professional and Premium tiers and minimum user counts, and Corporate on request for 250 or more users. Your Wrike renewal, your user count and whether you need SSO or LDAP synchronization are the main drivers. Ask any provider for a written quote that separates one-time migration work from recurring hosting, support and subscription costs.
How long does a Wrike to OpenProject migration take?
Duration depends mostly on how much structure you need to carry over and how many projects, custom fields and workflows Wrike is holding. A small portfolio with simple task lists is quicker to rebuild than one with dependency chains, custom request forms and cross-project reporting. Wrike's Excel export is capped at 65,000 rows per export, so large accounts often need several passes. OpenProject does not publish a migration duration for Wrike, so ask any implementation partner for a timeline tied to a written scope and a list of the projects in it.
What does the work require from our own staff?
Your PMO and project owners need to confirm which projects, dependencies, assignees and custom fields must survive the move, and they need time to check imported data against the source. Your IT team needs to provide a Linux host or Kubernetes cluster, a PostgreSQL database and a way to handle SSO and user accounts. Expect the staff effort to be concentrated in the first weeks of scope and in the validation phase. Confirm each of these responsibilities in the scope document so nobody discovers an unassigned task during cutover.
Can our own team migrate and run OpenProject without outside help?
Yes, a team with Linux, container and database experience can install OpenProject with Docker, the packaged installs or Kubernetes with Helm charts and then rebuild projects by hand or through the Excel synchronization. The harder parts are repeatable backups, upgrades, security hardening and rebuilding workflows and custom fields that do not map cleanly. Decide early which of these your team will own after go-live. DeployOpen plans, implements, hardens, backs up, upgrades and supports self-hosted platforms in your own environment under a written, fixed scope, so you can outsource only the parts you choose.
What Wrike data is lost in an Excel export?
The standard Excel export carries tasks and their core fields, but it does not carry attachments, comments or some structures that the account backup can hold. Wrike's Excel export is available on every plan with a 65,000-row limit and no comments or attachments. A full account backup on Business and above can supply attachments, and BI Export on Pinnacle and Apex covers reporting data. Before you commit, export a sample project, open it in OpenProject and compare dependencies, assignees, dates and comments against Wrike, then confirm with Wrike which export covers each object type in your plan.
How are Enterprise features priced in OpenProject?
OpenProject prices Enterprise on-premises per named user per month, and the features you need decide which plan you pick. Its pricing page places single sign-on (SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos and Okta), LDAP group synchronization, custom branding, SCIM provisioning, portfolio and resource management and the Jira Migrator in paid Enterprise plans. The Community edition remains free and includes work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards. Map each Wrike capability your PMO depends on to a plan before you request a quote, because a single required feature can move you to a higher tier.
Can OpenProject replace Wrike request forms and workload views?
OpenProject covers work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards, and its Enterprise plans add portfolio and resource management, but it does not offer a one-to-one copy of Wrike request forms or every workload view. Treat intake forms and workload reporting as requirements to test, not assumptions. Build a short list of the request types and workload reports your PMO uses, then trial each one in a test instance with real data. Ask the vendor or implementation partner to demonstrate those exact screens, and document any gap with a workaround or a custom build in the written scope.
How DeployOpen helps PMOs evaluate and move to OpenProject
DeployOpen plans, implements and supports self-hosted OpenProject inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. We start by agreeing on what your PMO needs to keep, rebuild or retire, then move through build, handover and ongoing support in the order your written scope sets out.
How we scope
- Inventory which Wrike projects, Gantt plans, request forms and workload views your PMO depends on today
- Confirm which OpenProject edition covers your needs, including whether SSO, LDAP or portfolio features need Enterprise
- Agree in writing which data, attachments and workflows are in and out of the migration
How we build
- Install OpenProject in your environment using Docker, packaged installs or Kubernetes, sized to your user count
- Configure PostgreSQL, authentication, roles, custom fields and project templates to match agreed workflows
- Test imports from exported Wrike data against a sample project before any production cutover
How we hand over
- Document the architecture, configuration, backup procedures and the gaps that remain against Wrike features
- Walk administrators and PMO leads through work packages, baselines, time tracking and reporting
- Provide the evidence and control records your internal or external auditors may ask for during assessments
How we support
- Offer ongoing support, upgrades and testing of the OpenProject platform as a retainer after handover
- Plan upgrades against OpenProject release notes and test them in a staging copy before production
- Keep backups, restore tests and monitoring under your control, with the scope of each agreed in writing
