Focalboard
Huly
| Feature | Focalboard | Huly |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $12/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | startups, developers, open-source-teams, small-companies |
| Founded | 2021 | 2022 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Issues | ✗ | ✓ |
| Documents | ✗ | ✓ |
| Chat | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hr Module | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Boards | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Huly Pros
- Open-source
- All-in-one platform
- Modern interface
- Self-hostable
✗ Huly Cons
- Newer and less proven
- Smaller community
- Features still developing
The Verdict
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. Huly targets startups and developers and leads with issues and documents.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while Huly starts at $12/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: Huly has a slight overall edge — but if completely free and open-source matters most to you, Focalboard may still be the right call.