Focalboard
LiquidPlanner
| Feature | Focalboard | LiquidPlanner |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | From $15/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | enterprise, engineering-teams, it-departments, product-teams |
| Founded | 2021 | 2006 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Predictive Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Resource Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Priority Based Planning | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Risk Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ LiquidPlanner Pros
- Predictive scheduling
- Automatic resource leveling
- Risk assessment
- Great for complex projects
✗ LiquidPlanner Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Expensive
- Overkill for simple projects
The Verdict
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. LiquidPlanner targets enterprise and engineering teams and leads with predictive-scheduling and resource-management.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while LiquidPlanner starts at $15/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Focalboard has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. LiquidPlanner requires a paid subscription from day one.
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.