Focalboard
ToolJet
| Feature | Focalboard | ToolJet |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $20/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | developers, startups, ops-teams, small-businesses |
| Founded | 2021 | 2021 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Visual Builder | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Sources | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Code | ✗ | ✓ |
| Version Control | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Tenancy | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ ToolJet Pros
- Open source
- Many data sources
- Drag-and-drop
- Self-hostable
✗ ToolJet Cons
- Documentation gaps
- Fewer widgets than competitors
- Community-dependent support
The Verdict
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. ToolJet targets developers and startups and leads with visual-builder and data-sources.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while ToolJet starts at $20/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.
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.