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Comparison · PM
Kitsu vs OpenProject
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Kitsu and OpenProject — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:open-source
Kitsu vs OpenProject: at a glance
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.
What is OpenProject?
OpenProject is patching 17.9 weekly, two of the six with security advisories.
OpenProject 17.9.0 shipped on 30 September with work packages created from Documents, date alerts in the Community edition, Backlogs filters and MCP Server time tracking, but this feed's visible window is now six patch releases after it. 17.9.3 fixes an improper input validation in PDF export that allowed local file loads, and 17.9.5 fixes a budget subject disclosure through the API form; the rest repair SSO in Chromium browsers, fresh installs without work package types, board card reloads and unsaved workflow changes.
Kitsu vs OpenProject: editorial side-by-side
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.
OpenProject is patching 17.9 weekly, two of the six with security advisories.
◆ Current state
OpenProject 17.9.0 shipped on 30 September with work packages created from Documents, date alerts in the Community edition, Backlogs filters and MCP Server time tracking, but this feed's visible window is now six patch releases after it. 17.9.3 fixes an improper input validation in PDF export that allowed local file loads, and 17.9.5 fixes a budget subject disclosure through the API form; the rest repair SSO in Chromium browsers, fresh installs without work package types, board card reloads and unsaved workflow changes.
◆ Where it's heading
The 17.x line alternates monthly feature minors with a tail of weekly patches, and 17.9's tail is longer than usual, partly because fresh installs and SSO broke. The feature direction from 17.8 and 17.9 holds: the MCP Server keeps gaining write and tracking capabilities, and paid features like date alerts move into the free edition. The advisories come from external reporters through GitHub, which suggests outside scrutiny of the API.
◆ Prediction
On the monthly cadence a 17.10 minor is due; the MCP Server has grown in each of the last two minors, so further agent-facing capability there is the most grounded expectation.
Alternatives to Kitsu and OpenProject
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 Kitsu or OpenProject.
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 Kitsu alternatives → · See all OpenProject alternatives →
Recent activity from Kitsu and OpenProject
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3d agoOpenProject17.9.6 fixes unsaved workflow changes
- 4d agoOpenProject17.9.5 fixes a budget disclosure in the work package API
- 7d agoKitsuPlayer Upgrades
- 8d agoOpenProject17.9.4 stops boards reloading cards twice
- 12d agoOpenProject17.9.3 fixes local file loading via PDF export
- 14d agoKitsuRedesigned Kanban Boards
- 18d agoOpenProject17.9.2 fixes SSO redirects and fresh-install project types
- 21d agoKitsuTeam Schedule Improvements
- 21d agoKitsuDirect Mention Replies
- 28d agoKitsuEpisode-Based Schedule for TV Series
- 1mo agoOpenProject17.9.1 fixes Chrome SSO login and the sidebar
- 1mo agoKitsuTask Metadata per Task Type
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Kitsu and OpenProject?
Both compete on the same themes — open-source — within PM. Kitsu and OpenProject 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 Kitsu better than OpenProject?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Kitsu and OpenProject 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 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.
What are the best alternatives to OpenProject?
Top OpenProject alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "OpenProject alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/openproject for the full list with editorial commentary on each.