NocoBase
NocoBase runs two release lines at once while the v3 client rewrite absorbs the AI work
Comparison · PM
OpenProject vs Zenkit
A side-by-side editorial comparison of OpenProject and Zenkit — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
OpenProject vs Zenkit: at a glance
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.
What is Zenkit?
Zenkit's blog is generic PM advice and has gone quiet since December 2024.
The feed is entirely evergreen project-management and productivity content — Eisenhower Matrix, scope creep, team effectiveness, communication, project budgets. No product-specific posts. The most recent post is from December 2024, so the publishing cadence has been silent for roughly five months. Zenkit's actual product (PM platform) is invisible in the public-facing content.
OpenProject vs Zenkit: editorial side-by-side
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.
Zenkit
0.0PM
Zenkit's blog is generic PM advice and has gone quiet since December 2024.
◆ Current state
The feed is entirely evergreen project-management and productivity content — Eisenhower Matrix, scope creep, team effectiveness, communication, project budgets. No product-specific posts. The most recent post is from December 2024, so the publishing cadence has been silent for roughly five months. Zenkit's actual product (PM platform) is invisible in the public-facing content.
◆ Where it's heading
Without product-update posts in the visible window and no recent publishing, the signal is essentially negative: a tool whose marketing engine has slowed and whose public roadmap is opaque. The content that does exist is so generic it could be from any PM-tool blog, which doesn't help differentiation.
◆ Prediction
Hardest product to predict in the queue. Most likely next signal is resumed evergreen publishing rather than a product release — a material change would be a feature post breaking the long silence.
Alternatives to OpenProject and Zenkit
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 OpenProject or Zenkit.
Hive
Hive ships in batches, and this one is all planning accuracy and admin control.
Plane
Plane ships a fortnightly digest, and the AI layer is where the real work is going.
Ever Teams
Ever Teams shipped ten tags in twelve hours and one of them touched the product
Asana
Asana's agent left the app — it now answers work questions inside Slack threads.
Apploye
Apploye's feed is an SEO blog, and its running theme is defending monitoring on privacy grounds.
See all OpenProject alternatives → · See all Zenkit alternatives →
Recent activity from OpenProject and Zenkit
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 5d agoOpenProjectPatch fixes hourly rates, non-working days, custom styles
- 12d agoOpenProjectPatch fixes duplicate users on retried imports
- 14d agoOpenProjectResource management module lands with departments and work schedules ⚡
- 1mo agoOpenProjectXWiki integration links work packages to external docs
- 2mo agoOpenProjectPatch fixes work package creation broken by 17.5
- 2mo agoOpenProjectProject-based work package IDs arrive in Beta
- 1y agoZenkit5 Tips to successfully manage your Project Budget
- 1y agoZenkitHow to be a Project Manager in 2026
- 1y agoZenkitThe Importance of Project Assumptions
- 1y agoZenkitHow to tackle Scope Creep
- 1y agoZenkit5 Skills every Software Developer should have
- 1y agoZenkitThe Eisenhower Matrix: A Task Prioritization Method
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OpenProject and Zenkit?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. OpenProject is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is OpenProject better than Zenkit?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. OpenProject is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other PM products to evaluate alongside.
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.
What are the best alternatives to Zenkit?
Top Zenkit alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Zenkit alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/zenkit for the full list with editorial commentary on each.