Focalboard
Paymo
| Feature | Focalboard | Paymo |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $5.9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | freelancers, small-businesses, agencies, consultants |
| Founded | 2021 | 2008 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✓ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Project Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Invoicing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Resource Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gantt Charts | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Paymo Pros
- All-in-one project and time tool
- Built-in invoicing
- Resource scheduling
- Good free plan
✗ Paymo Cons
- Limited advanced features
- Reporting could be deeper
- Mobile app less polished
The Verdict
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. Paymo targets freelancers and small businesses and leads with time-tracking and project-management.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while Paymo starts at $5.9/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: Paymo has a slight overall edge — but if completely free and open-source matters most to you, Focalboard may still be the right call.