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Comparison · PM

NocoBase vs OpenProject

A side-by-side editorial comparison of NocoBase and OpenProject — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:self-hosted

NocoBase vs OpenProject: at a glance

FeatureNocoBaseOpenProject
SectorPMPM
Velocity score6.36.3
Sparks · 30d11
Top themeslow-code, ai-employees, plugin-architecture, self-hostedresource management, capacity planning, patch releases, enterprise add-ons
Last editorial update2h ago5d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is NocoBase?

NocoBase runs two release lines at once while the v3 client rewrite absorbs the AI work

NocoBase is shipping a v3.0.0 alpha train alongside maintenance on the 2.2.0 beta line. The newest alpha adds an online AI documentation assistant that cites verified official docs, DeepSeek V4 Flash and V4 Pro through the Responses API with reasoning continuity, native web search and citations, LDAP user synchronisation for the v2 client, and debounced search in the multi-space switchers. Everything else is the v2 client grind - filter forms, export and import, kanban, approval workflows, map blocks - plus renewable lease support in both the local and Redis lock managers.

Read the full NocoBase trajectory →

What is OpenProject?

OpenProject settles into patch work after 17.7 shipped resource management.

17.7.0 was the substantial release — a resource management module with departments and work schedules, pushing OpenProject past task tracking into staffing. The two releases since are patches. 17.7.2 fixes four bugs, among them project-level hourly rates that could not be adjusted and non-working days silently dropped when saved while a reschedule job was running — both in the scheduling and cost areas 17.7 had just expanded.

Read the full OpenProject trajectory →

NocoBase vs OpenProject: editorial side-by-side

N6.3

NocoBase runs two release lines at once while the v3 client rewrite absorbs the AI work

◆ Current state

NocoBase is shipping a v3.0.0 alpha train alongside maintenance on the 2.2.0 beta line. The newest alpha adds an online AI documentation assistant that cites verified official docs, DeepSeek V4 Flash and V4 Pro through the Responses API with reasoning continuity, native web search and citations, LDAP user synchronisation for the v2 client, and debounced search in the multi-space switchers. Everything else is the v2 client grind - filter forms, export and import, kanban, approval workflows, map blocks - plus renewable lease support in both the local and Redis lock managers.

◆ Where it's heading

The alpha line is doing two jobs simultaneously: porting the entire block and action catalogue to the v2 client, and layering AI employees on top of the plugin model that alpha.7 established. The model work has settled into a pattern of adding providers to an existing surface rather than reshaping it - DeepSeek here, skills-as-plugins earlier - which suggests the extensibility question is considered answered and the remaining risk is the client port. Bug volume weighted heavily toward client-v2 confirms where the effort sits.

◆ Prediction

Expect the alphas to keep trading feature additions for v2 client parity until the port closes, with AI work continuing as provider and tooling breadth rather than another structural change.

O6.3

OpenProject settles into patch work after 17.7 shipped resource management.

◆ Current state

17.7.0 was the substantial release — a resource management module with departments and work schedules, pushing OpenProject past task tracking into staffing. The two releases since are patches. 17.7.2 fixes four bugs, among them project-level hourly rates that could not be adjusted and non-working days silently dropped when saved while a reschedule job was running — both in the scheduling and cost areas 17.7 had just expanded.

◆ Where it's heading

The release rhythm is a feature minor followed by a short tail of patches repairing the surface it just added, and this tail sits squarely in resource-management territory. Rate and non-working-day bugs are the predictable cost of shipping scheduling and cost tracking together. For self-hosted operators the advice does not change between these releases: take the patch.

◆ Prediction

Expect one or two more 17.7.x patches against the resource management surface before 17.8 opens a new feature line.

Alternatives to NocoBase and OpenProject

Other PM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either NocoBase or OpenProject.

See all NocoBase alternatives → · See all OpenProject alternatives →

Recent activity from NocoBase and OpenProject

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1d agoNocoBaseDeepSeek V4 joins AI employees; LDAP sync reaches client v2
  2. 5d agoOpenProjectPatch fixes hourly rates, non-working days, custom styles
  3. 7d agoNocoBaseCLI accepts JSON arrays for bulk record creation
  4. 8d agoNocoBaseAI employee skills and LLM service navigation reach 2.2.0
  5. 9d agoNocoBasePortal cards emit a prompt for connecting a coding agent
  6. 12d agoOpenProjectPatch fixes duplicate users on retried imports
  7. 13d agoNocoBaseAI employee skills become plugins, scoped to Portals
  8. 14d agoOpenProjectResource management module lands with departments and work schedules
  9. 16d agoNocoBaseAlpha 6 fixes CSRF, sequence and Worker exit bugs
  10. 1mo agoOpenProjectXWiki integration links work packages to external docs
  11. 2mo agoOpenProjectPatch fixes work package creation broken by 17.5
  12. 2mo agoOpenProjectProject-based work package IDs arrive in Beta

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between NocoBase and OpenProject?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within PM. NocoBase and OpenProject are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is NocoBase better than OpenProject?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. NocoBase and OpenProject are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other PM products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to NocoBase?

Top NocoBase alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "NocoBase alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/nocobase for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to OpenProject?

Top OpenProject alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "OpenProject alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/openproject for the full list with editorial commentary on each.