Skip to content

Self-host Leantime

updated Sep 2026prices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Sep 2026 · how we test
We earn commissions when you shop through the links below. Full disclosure →

Open-source project management platform built for non-traditional project managers and neurodivergent teams, combining task/kanban boards, Gantt-style milestones, sprints, time tracking, and a project wiki. The self-hosted AGPL-3.0 open-source edition ships the full core project-management feature set plus white-labeling, client management, and LDAP/OIDC login for free; recurring tasks, custom fields, whiteboards, AI-assisted status updates, and program/portfolio-level strategy tools are paid plugin-bundle or Pro-tier add-ons and aren't part of the free self-hosted build.

Key facts

LicenseAGPL-3.0
StackPHP, JavaScript, MySQL
Min RAM1024 MB
Official imageyes
Measured idle RAM529 MB
Difficulty
Our recommendation

Pick Leantime when you want a PM tool built for non-traditional and neurodivergent-friendly workflows — kanban, Gantt-style milestones, sprints, time tracking, a wiki — with white-labeling, client management, and LDAP/OIDC login free out of the box. The tradeoff is a wide paid layer: AI features, program/portfolio strategy tools, whiteboards, custom fields, and recurring tasks all sit behind a Pro/plugin-bundle tier, not the free self-hosted build.

Follow the Leantime deploy guide →

What you need

  • Any VPS with at least 1024 MB of RAM
  • A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
  • Under an hour if you've used Docker before
Where to host itaffiliate disclosure
Hetzner Cloudrun it on
From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + US
Get Hetzner Cloud (opens in new tab)
Kamaterafree trial
From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + Asia
Start free on Kamatera → (opens in new tab)
DigitalOceanalso works on
From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + Asia
Deploy on DigitalOcean → (opens in new tab)

Paid link — we earn a commission if you shop through it.

Install

Run these commands on your server:

# Leantime — official image with MySQL
mkdir -p leantime/db leantime/userfiles leantime/plugins && cd leantime
cat > docker-compose.yml <<'EOF'
services:
  db:
    image: mysql:8.4
    command: --character-set-server=UTF8MB4 --collation-server=UTF8MB4_unicode_ci
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: change-me
      MYSQL_DATABASE: leantime
      MYSQL_USER: leantime
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: change-me
    volumes: ["./db:/var/lib/mysql"]
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "mysqladmin", "ping", "-h", "localhost"]
      interval: 10s
      retries: 5
  leantime:
    image: leantime/leantime:3.9.8
    environment:
      LEAN_DB_HOST: db
      LEAN_DB_USER: leantime
      LEAN_DB_PASSWORD: change-me
      LEAN_DB_DATABASE: leantime
      LEAN_SESSION_PASSWORD: change-me-to-a-random-string
      LEAN_SESSION_SECURE: "false"
    ports: ["8080:8080"]
    volumes: ["./userfiles:/var/www/html/userfiles", "./plugins:/var/www/html/app/Plugins"]
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_healthy
EOF
docker compose up -d   #  →  http://SERVER_IP:8080  (complete setup in the browser, then register the first admin account)

What you take on

Leantime's free core is solid, but more sits behind a paid tier here than on most apps in this cluster:

non-negotiableThe paid gate is wider than usual. AI-assisted status updates, program/portfolio-level strategy tools, whiteboards, custom fields, and recurring tasks are all paid plugin-bundle or Pro-tier add-ons — not part of the free AGPL-3.0 self-hosted build. Confirm a feature you're planning around is actually in the free tier before you commit.
non-negotiableMySQL is the database, not Postgres. If the rest of your stack standardizes on Postgres, that's one more engine to operate and back up.
non-negotiableSecrets ship as plaintext placeholders in the compose file. Change every change-me value — database passwords and the session secret — before you go anywhere near production, and enable the secure-session flag once you're behind TLS.

An alternative to

Head-to-head

More in Project Management

Project Management

Donetick

Task and chore manager for individuals, families and small groups, with flexible recurring schedules, assignee rotation, subtasks, labels, points and natural-language task entry. Stores data in SQLite by default, with PostgreSQL as an option.
GoReactSQLite
easyRead guide →
Project Management

Kanboard

Minimalist kanban project management tool with boards, swimlanes, subtasks, time tracking, automatic actions, a JSON-RPC API and a plugin system. Runs on PHP with SQLite, MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL.
PHPPostgreSQL
easyRead guide →
Project Management

OpenProject

Open-source project management software for product, project, and portfolio management. The self-hosted GPL-3.0 Community Edition ships work packages (tasks/subtasks/features/milestones), Gantt charts, agile/kanban boards, Scrum backlogs, time tracking, and a project wiki — TOTP/WebAuthn two-factor authentication is included free; LDAP group sync, SSO, resource management, and custom branding are Enterprise-only add-ons layered on top and aren't part of the free build.
RubyTypeScriptPostgreSQL
hardRead guide →
Project Management

Plane

Open-source project management platform for tracking work items, running sprint cycles, and managing product roadmaps. The self-hosted AGPL-3.0 Community Edition ships work items across five layouts — list, board (kanban), calendar, table, and timeline (a Gantt-equivalent) — plus cycles, modules, saved views, and wiki-style pages; some AI and enterprise capabilities shown on Plane's hosted cloud offering are gated to paid plans and aren't part of the self-hosted Community Edition.
TypeScriptPythonPostgreSQLRedis
moderateRead guide →

We use analytics cookies (Google Analytics, PostHog) to see which guides are useful. No ad networks, no cross-site tracking. See our privacy policy.