Focalboard
SuperTokens
| Feature | Focalboard | SuperTokens |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $0.02/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | saas-developers, startups, privacy-focused-apps, self-hosters |
| Founded | 2021 | 2019 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Password | ✗ | ✓ |
| Social Login | ✗ | ✓ |
| Passwordless | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mfa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Session Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pre Built Ui | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hostable | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ SuperTokens Pros
- Open-source with free self-hosting
- Pre-built UI components for quick integration
- Session management with anti-CSRF protection
- Multiple auth methods (email, social, passwordless, MFA)
✗ SuperTokens Cons
- Smaller ecosystem than Auth0 or Firebase Auth
- Documentation has gaps for complex setups
- Limited admin dashboard features
The Verdict
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. SuperTokens targets saas developers and startups and leads with email-password and social-login.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while SuperTokens starts at $0.02/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.
Feature-wise, SuperTokens offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Focalboard takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for self hosters — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: SuperTokens has a slight overall edge — but if completely free and open-source matters most to you, Focalboard may still be the right call.