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Comparison · PM
Leantime vs Plane
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Leantime and Plane — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:project-managementopen-source
Leantime vs Plane: at a glance
What is Leantime?
Leantime lands a major architecture rebuild, then spends a week stabilizing its API auth
Leantime is working through the aftermath of 3.9.0, a large architectural release that introduced a native permission engine, a JSON-RPC API layer, consolidated 16 canvas variants into a unified Blueprints domain, and added mobile push notifications. The subsequent 3.9.1-3.9.5 train is dominated by fixing Bearer/token authentication regressions that release introduced.
What is Plane?
Plane is bolting an AI layer and an app platform onto an enterprise-grade project tool.
Plane is an open-source project-management platform positioning against Jira, and its recent releases push on three fronts at once: AI authoring, an app and integration platform, and enterprise access control. The last stretch added AI content blocks in Pages, MCP app publishing, PQL querying in dashboards, and a redesigned permissions system with custom roles. The deepening Jira-import machinery underscores who Plane is trying to win over.
Leantime vs Plane: editorial side-by-side
Leantime
6.3PM
Leantime lands a major architecture rebuild, then spends a week stabilizing its API auth
◆ Current state
Leantime is working through the aftermath of 3.9.0, a large architectural release that introduced a native permission engine, a JSON-RPC API layer, consolidated 16 canvas variants into a unified Blueprints domain, and added mobile push notifications. The subsequent 3.9.1-3.9.5 train is dominated by fixing Bearer/token authentication regressions that release introduced.
◆ Where it's heading
The open-source PM tool is modernizing its foundation (thin controllers, typed exceptions, fail-closed authorization, Blade migration) to support a mobile app and third-party integrations. The near-term cost is a visible bugfix tail as token-based auth gets hardened path by path.
◆ Prediction
Expect the patch cadence to settle once Bearer-auth coverage stabilizes, with mobile endpoints and the JSON-RPC surface becoming the focus, given the mobile API work threaded through these releases.
Plane
6.3PM
Plane is bolting an AI layer and an app platform onto an enterprise-grade project tool.
◆ Current state
Plane is an open-source project-management platform positioning against Jira, and its recent releases push on three fronts at once: AI authoring, an app and integration platform, and enterprise access control. The last stretch added AI content blocks in Pages, MCP app publishing, PQL querying in dashboards, and a redesigned permissions system with custom roles. The deepening Jira-import machinery underscores who Plane is trying to win over.
◆ Where it's heading
Plane is maturing along the classic enterprise checklist — granular permissions, custom roles, a Workspace Admin tier — while simultaneously opening up as a platform via MCP app publishing and a growing AI surface. The combination suggests Plane wants to be both the system of record and the place teams build on top of. The heavy investment in Jira migration signals the target customer is teams actively leaving Jira.
◆ Prediction
Expect the MCP app-publishing path and Plane AI to converge — AI features that act on work items through the same app and integration layer — alongside continued enterprise governance depth.
Alternatives to Leantime and Plane
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 Leantime or Plane.
TimeCamp
TimeCamp's feed is competitor-comparison SEO, not product releases — billing beats stopwatch.
Aha!
Aha! pushes from planning into building — roadmaps now compile to working apps
Atlassian
Atlassian threads agentic CI/CD and richer package management through Bitbucket
ProdPad
ProdPad's feed is a sustained argument against dated roadmaps and for Now-Next-Later.
RescueTime
RescueTime's feed is its productivity blog, with no product signal
See all Leantime alternatives → · See all Plane alternatives →
Recent activity from Leantime and Plane
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 9d agoLeantimeMobile API endpoints for notifications and calendar; fixes
- 12d agoPlaneAI Block in Pages | Jun 15, 2026
- 13d agoLeantimeFix cross-project My Work loading and Bearer auth
- 13d agoLeantimeFix Bearer token auth on permission-gated API methods
- 15d agoLeantimeFix route caching and Bearer/PAT authentication
- 15d agoLeantimeFix 3.9.0 Bearer API auth regression
- 15d agoLeantimeNative permission engine, JSON-RPC API and mobile push ⚡
- 27d agoPlaneEpics become a work item type, publish MCP apps, and more | May 31, 2026 ⚡
- 1mo agoPlaneEmbed media in the editor, PQL in Dashboards, and more | May 15, 2026
- 2mo agoPlaneCustom roles, granular access control, and a redesigned permissions system | Apr 25, 2026 ⚡
- 2mo agoPlaneCustom roles, granular access control, and a redesigned permissions system | Apr 25, 2026
- 2mo agoPlaneGroup pages in Collections, view Initiatives as boards, and more
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Leantime and Plane?
Both compete on the same themes — project-management, open-source — within PM. Leantime and Plane are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, 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 Leantime better than Plane?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Leantime and Plane are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, 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 Leantime?
Top Leantime alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Leantime alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/leantime for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Plane?
Top Plane alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Plane alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/plane for the full list with editorial commentary on each.