Focalboard
Pirsch
| Feature | Focalboard | Pirsch |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | From $4/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | privacy-focused-websites, european-businesses, bloggers, saas-companies |
| Founded | 2021 | 2021 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pageview Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Event Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Goals | ✗ | ✓ |
| Utm Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Server Side Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api Access | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Pirsch Pros
- No cookies required
- GDPR compliant out of the box
- Lightweight script (less than 1KB)
- Server-side tracking option
✗ Pirsch Cons
- No free plan
- Less detailed than GA4
- Limited e-commerce tracking
The Verdict
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. Pirsch targets privacy focused websites and european businesses and leads with pageview-tracking and event-tracking.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while Pirsch starts at $4/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. Pirsch requires a paid subscription from day one.
Bottom line: Pirsch has a slight overall edge — but if completely free and open-source matters most to you, Focalboard may still be the right call.