Workboard vs Focalboard
The maintained Focalboard alternative
Standalone Focalboard has been looking for maintainers since Mattermost unbundled it. If you are self-hosting it today, you are running software nobody is on the hook for.
Short answer: is Workboard a good Focalboard alternative?
Workboard is an actively maintained, MIT-licensed alternative to Focalboard. Mattermost stopped bundling the Focalboard plugin in 2023 and the standalone project moved to community maintenance, with the plugin continuing separately as Mattermost Boards. Workboard offers a comparable self-hosted board with regular releases, SSO, and a documented API.
- License
- MIT, versus Focalboard's mixed Mattermost licensing
- Hosting
- Both self-host. Workboard is Docker plus PostgreSQL
- Single sign-on
- Free on Workboard through Google, GitHub, Discord, or any OIDC provider
- Pricing
- $0 self-hosted, cloud from $4 / month
Focalboard details checked on 19 August 2026. Focalboard repository, Workboard pricing.
Why teams choose Workboard
Somebody is maintaining it
Workboard ships releases, security fixes, and migrations that work on existing installations. That is the whole argument here: a self-hosted board is only as good as its next update.
Independent of a chat platform
Focalboard's future is as a Mattermost plugin. Workboard is a standalone product, and it integrates with Slack, Discord, and Telegram rather than living inside one of them.
More than a board
Backlog planning, workflow rules, roles, time tracking, notifications, an API, and an MCP server, all in the MIT-licensed build.
When Focalboard is the better choice
If you already run Mattermost, the maintained Boards plugin keeps your tasks next to your conversations, and that adjacency is worth a lot. Focalboard's card and property model is also flexible in a Notion-like way that Workboard deliberately does not copy.
Workboard vs Focalboard, answered
Is Focalboard discontinued?
The standalone Focalboard project is no longer actively maintained by Mattermost and is looking for community maintainers. Mattermost stopped bundling the plugin in September 2023, and the plugin now continues separately as Mattermost Boards.
What should I use instead of Focalboard?
For a maintained self-hosted board, Workboard, PLANKA, WeKan, and Vikunja are the usual choices. Workboard is MIT licensed with SSO included and adds backlog planning and time tracking.
Can I move my Focalboard data to Workboard?
There is no dedicated importer. Focalboard exports boards as archive files, and Workboard has a public API and per-project JSON import, so a scripted migration is possible. Open a GitHub issue if you want this supported properly.
Does Workboard need Mattermost or another chat tool?
No. Workboard is standalone. It can post notifications into Slack, Discord, or Telegram, but nothing requires them.