Focalboard
Huly
| Feature | Focalboard | Huly |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $15/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | startups, open-source-teams, small-companies, engineering-teams |
| Founded | 2021 | 2023 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Issue Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team Planner | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Office | ✗ | ✓ |
| Documents | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hr Module | ✗ | ✓ |
| Chat Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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 with self-hosting option
- All-in-one platform reducing tool sprawl
- Fast and modern interface
- Built-in HR and recruitment features
✗ Huly Cons
- Smaller ecosystem than established tools
- Documentation still growing
- Fewer third-party integrations
The Verdict
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. Huly targets startups and open source teams and leads with issue-tracking and team-planner.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while Huly starts at $15/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.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.