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Comparison · PM
Kanboard vs Kitsu
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Kanboard and Kitsu — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:open-source
Kanboard vs Kitsu: at a glance
What is Kanboard?
Kanboard shipped three security releases in ten days, plus a PHP 8.5 move.
Kanboard is a self-hosted PHP kanban board whose releases are now almost entirely security work, and October tripled the pace. 1.2.55 blocked spoofed proxy IPs from bypassing CAPTCHA and login lockouts and enforced project authorization across several board actions; 1.2.56 moved the Docker image to PHP 8.5 to pick up two PHP CVE fixes; 1.2.57 disables PHP session upload progress against another CVE and stops API lookups from revealing that inaccessible projects exist. WebP attachments and exact-email user search are the only feature additions.
What is Kitsu?
Kitsu ships weekly production-management updates, from per-show roles to a new Kanban board.
Kitsu, the open-source animation and VFX production tracker, has posted a feature update most weeks since late September: per-production roles, metadata per task type, episode-based schedules for TV series, team schedule filters, mention replies, a redesigned Kanban board, and player trim handles. Earlier in the year the focus was the review loop, with onion skinning, an annotation eraser, public playlist links, and OpenID Connect sign-in.
Kanboard vs Kitsu: editorial side-by-side
Kanboard
5.0PM
Kanboard shipped three security releases in ten days, plus a PHP 8.5 move.
◆ Current state
Kanboard is a self-hosted PHP kanban board whose releases are now almost entirely security work, and October tripled the pace. 1.2.55 blocked spoofed proxy IPs from bypassing CAPTCHA and login lockouts and enforced project authorization across several board actions; 1.2.56 moved the Docker image to PHP 8.5 to pick up two PHP CVE fixes; 1.2.57 disables PHP session upload progress against another CVE and stops API lookups from revealing that inaccessible projects exist. WebP attachments and exact-email user search are the only feature additions.
◆ Where it's heading
The audit that ran from LDAP escaping through API response shape is now reaching information leaks by error message: returning false instead of a 403 so the API doesn't confirm a project exists. The Docker image has become part of the security perimeter, with two of the three releases changing PHP runtime settings. Features remain small and incidental.
◆ Prediction
Expect further releases tracking upstream PHP and Alpine security fixes, since the Docker image now ships on PHP 8.5 and has needed two runtime changes in ten days.
Kitsu
5.0PM
Kitsu ships weekly production-management updates, from per-show roles to a new Kanban board.
◆ Current state
Kitsu, the open-source animation and VFX production tracker, has posted a feature update most weeks since late September: per-production roles, metadata per task type, episode-based schedules for TV series, team schedule filters, mention replies, a redesigned Kanban board, and player trim handles. Earlier in the year the focus was the review loop, with onion skinning, an annotation eraser, public playlist links, and OpenID Connect sign-in.
◆ Where it's heading
The emphasis has moved from client-facing review toward running multi-show studios: permissions per production, department-specific data and episodic planning. The weekly cadence makes each entry small.
◆ Prediction
More weekly updates on scheduling and studio permissions are likely; a larger release is not signalled in the feed.
Alternatives to Kanboard and Kitsu
Other PM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Kanboard or Kitsu.
Bonsai
Bonsai is turning its CRM into the place Zoom notes, bookings and AI drafts all land.
NocoBase
NocoBase's latest beta makes queued agent failures readable instead of vague.
Productboard
Productboard's v2 API now redirects merged entities instead of returning not-found errors.
Papertrail
Papertrail's changelog has gone quiet on product since its checklist logic rebuild.
Ellie Planner
Ellie follows its MCP opening with a 30-day Trash and Google Calendar editing.
See all Kanboard alternatives → · See all Kitsu alternatives →
Recent activity from Kanboard and Kitsu
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3d agoKanboard1.2.57 hides inaccessible projects from API lookups
- 7d agoKitsuPlayer Upgrades
- 12d agoKanboard1.2.56 moves the Docker image to PHP 8.5
- 13d agoKanboard1.2.55 blocks proxy IP spoofing and adds WebP attachments
- 14d agoKitsuRedesigned Kanban Boards
- 21d agoKitsuTeam Schedule Improvements
- 21d agoKitsuDirect Mention Replies
- 28d agoKitsuEpisode-Based Schedule for TV Series
- 1mo agoKitsuTask Metadata per Task Type
- 2mo agoKanboardPassword changes now kill sessions; API stops leaking private fields
- 3mo agoKanboardSecurity fixes and opt-in full-text task search
- 7mo agoKanboardComment visibility rules and timing-safe token checks
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Kanboard and Kitsu?
Both compete on the same themes — open-source — within PM. Kanboard and Kitsu are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Kanboard better than Kitsu?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Kanboard and Kitsu are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other PM products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Kanboard?
Top Kanboard alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Kanboard alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/kanboard for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Kitsu?
Top Kitsu alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Kitsu alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/kitsu for the full list with editorial commentary on each.