Evidence
Focalboard
| Feature | Evidence | Focalboard |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $49/mo | Free only |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Best For | data-analysts, data-engineers, startups, analytics-teams | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates |
| Founded | 2021 | 2021 |
| Sql Reporting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Markdown Pages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Charts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Static Deployment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Git Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Data Sources | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kanban Boards | ✗ | ✓ |
| Table View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calendar View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Filters | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hosting | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Evidence Pros
- Code-based reports (version controlled)
- Beautiful output
- Fast static deployment
- SQL-first approach
✗ Evidence Cons
- Requires SQL knowledge
- Not for ad-hoc exploration
- Smaller community
✓ Focalboard Pros
- Completely free and open-source
- Self-hostable for data control
- Multiple view types (board, table, gallery)
- Integrates with Mattermost
✗ Focalboard Cons
- Limited to basic project tracking
- No built-in time tracking
- Smaller community than alternatives
The Verdict
Evidence is built for data analysts and data engineers, with a focus on sql-reporting and markdown-pages. Focalboard targets self hosters and mattermost users and leads with kanban-boards and table-view.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while Evidence starts at $49/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: Evidence has a slight overall edge — but if completely free and open-source matters most to you, Focalboard may still be the right call.