Focalboard
Zoho Sprints
| Feature | Focalboard | Zoho Sprints |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | zoho-users, scrum-teams, small-development-teams, budget-conscious-teams |
| Founded | 2021 | 2017 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sprint Planning | ✗ | ✓ |
| Backlog Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scrum Boards | ✗ | ✓ |
| Velocity Charts | ✗ | ✓ |
| Timesheets | ✗ | ✓ |
| Epics | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Zoho Sprints Pros
- Free for up to 5 users
- Deep Zoho suite integration
- Built-in timesheet tracking
- Sprint retrospective boards
✗ Zoho Sprints Cons
- Limited outside Zoho ecosystem
- Fewer integrations than standalone tools
- UI can feel cramped
The Verdict
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. Zoho Sprints targets zoho users and scrum teams and leads with sprint-planning and backlog-management.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while Zoho Sprints starts at $5/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.