Focalboard
Medusa
| Feature | Focalboard | Medusa |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free only |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | developer-teams, custom-commerce, headless-commerce, multi-region-stores |
| Founded | 2021 | 2021 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Headless Api | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Region | ✗ | ✓ |
| Plugins | ✗ | ✓ |
| Admin Dashboard | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payment Providers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fulfillment | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tax Engine | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Medusa Pros
- Fully open-source and developer-friendly
- Headless architecture for any frontend framework
- Built-in multi-region and multi-currency support
- Modular design allows replacing any component
✗ Medusa Cons
- Requires development resources to set up
- Newer platform with smaller ecosystem
- No visual store builder for non-developers
The Verdict
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. Medusa targets developer teams and custom commerce and leads with headless-api and multi-region.
Both tools use custom enterprise pricing — you'll need to contact sales for a quote, which makes direct cost comparison difficult.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Medusa edges out on user ratings (4.4 vs 4). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Medusa offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Focalboard takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Medusa has a slight overall edge — but if completely free and open-source matters most to you, Focalboard may still be the right call.