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Comparison · PM

Kanboard vs Wakapi

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Kanboard and Wakapi — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:self-hosted

Kanboard vs Wakapi: at a glance

FeatureKanboardWakapi
SectorPMPM
Velocity score2.52.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themeskanban, self-hosted, security-hardening, phptime-tracking, self-hosted, oidc, auth-bypass
Last editorial update25d ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Kanboard?

A mature kanban tool in a methodical security-hardening cycle

Kanboard is a stable, self-hosted PHP kanban board whose recent releases are dominated by security work rather than new features. Nearly every point release closes a class of vulnerability — authorization gaps, SSRF, injection, deserialization — alongside small UX fixes and dependency bumps. The product is feature-complete and being maintained defensively.

Read the full Kanboard trajectory →

What is Wakapi?

A critical auth bypass lands in the middle of Wakapi's slow identity rebuild.

Wakapi's recent releases cluster around identity and deployment rather than time tracking itself: OpenID Connect login, then an OIDC-only mode, multiple API keys per user, and a switch from Alpine to a distroless nonroot container image. The 2.17.x line has carried two security fixes now — a responsibly disclosed issue in 2.17.3, and a critical authentication bypass in 2.17.6 caused by a shared cache key namespace. Release notes are mostly bare issue numbers, so several entries state that something changed without saying what.

Read the full Wakapi trajectory →

Kanboard vs Wakapi: editorial side-by-side

K2.5

A mature kanban tool in a methodical security-hardening cycle

◆ Current state

Kanboard is a stable, self-hosted PHP kanban board whose recent releases are dominated by security work rather than new features. Nearly every point release closes a class of vulnerability — authorization gaps, SSRF, injection, deserialization — alongside small UX fixes and dependency bumps. The product is feature-complete and being maintained defensively.

◆ Where it's heading

The arc across 1.2.44 through 1.2.53 is a systematic audit: each release hardens one more surface (LDAP, webhooks, comment visibility, bulk operations, token comparison). New user-facing features are rare and incremental — full-text search opt-in, RTL support, richer API links. This is a project prioritizing trust and long-term maintainability over expansion.

◆ Prediction

Expect the pattern to continue: more targeted security fixes and PHP-version-compatibility work in the next release, with occasional small usability additions. No major feature direction is visible in these entries.

W2.5

A critical auth bypass lands in the middle of Wakapi's slow identity rebuild.

◆ Current state

Wakapi's recent releases cluster around identity and deployment rather than time tracking itself: OpenID Connect login, then an OIDC-only mode, multiple API keys per user, and a switch from Alpine to a distroless nonroot container image. The 2.17.x line has carried two security fixes now — a responsibly disclosed issue in 2.17.3, and a critical authentication bypass in 2.17.6 caused by a shared cache key namespace. Release notes are mostly bare issue numbers, so several entries state that something changed without saying what.

◆ Where it's heading

The direction is a self-hosted tool making itself deployable somewhere other than one developer's server. External identity providers, an option to disable local login entirely, per-key credentials and a container that runs as a nonroot user are the requirements that come from someone else's security review. The 2.17.6 bypass sits awkwardly against that: a cache keyed without proper namespacing is exactly the class of bug that multi-tenant deployment surfaces, which suggests the auth work is now being exercised harder than the code was written for. Releases have also thinned to roughly one a month from a much faster earlier cadence.

◆ Prediction

The identity and packaging thread is the only sustained one in this feed, so further hardening in that area is the most likely continuation; the sparse release notes make anything more specific guesswork.

Alternatives to Kanboard and Wakapi

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 Wakapi.

See all Kanboard alternatives → · See all Wakapi alternatives →

Recent activity from Kanboard and Wakapi

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 7h agoWakapiCritical auth bypass from a shared cache key namespace
  2. 25d agoKanboardSecurity fixes and opt-in full-text task search
  3. 1mo agoWakapiRelease 2.17.5
  4. 2mo agoWakapiRelease 2.17.4
  5. 4mo agoKanboardComment visibility rules and timing-safe token checks
  6. 4mo agoWakapiSecurity fix, relay endpoint dropped, summaries may need regenerating
  7. 5mo agoKanboardSSRF protection and safer deserialization
  8. 5mo agoWakapiDistroless nonroot container image; SQLite permissions need fixing
  9. 6mo agoKanboardAuthorization and CSRF checks across controllers
  10. 6mo agoWakapiOIDC-only login mode disables local accounts
  11. 7mo agoKanboardLDAP injection fix and trusted-proxy config
  12. 10mo agoKanboardPublic API links, RTL support, subtask counts

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Kanboard and Wakapi?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within PM. Kanboard and Wakapi are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 2.5 vs 2.5, 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 Wakapi?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Kanboard and Wakapi are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 2.5 vs 2.5, 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 Wakapi?

Top Wakapi alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Wakapi alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/wakapi for the full list with editorial commentary on each.