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Comparison · PM
OpenProject vs Redmine
A side-by-side editorial comparison of OpenProject and Redmine — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
OpenProject vs Redmine: at a glance
What is OpenProject?
OpenProject's MCP Server gains write access — AI agents can now create tasks, add comments, and manage relations.
OpenProject 17.8.0 marks the most significant AI integration milestone in the product's history: the MCP Server can now create and update work packages, add comments, and manage relations — moving from a read-only query layer to a write-capable AI agent interface. The same release adds multiple target versions per work package, sprints and milestones to the project timeline, and relation display in the free Community edition. OpenProject 17.7.0 laid the organizational management foundation: departments, work-related user attributes, and individual work schedules for capacity planning.
What is Redmine?
Twenty years in, Redmine is on a disciplined security-patch cadence behind its first major release since 6.0.
Redmine shipped 7.0.0 at the end of June with webhook triggers, a Rails 8 migration, and a header redesign, then followed it eight weeks later with 7.0.1 alongside backports to the 6.1 and 6.0 branches. That August release fixes five security defects, including a session-affecting API flaw and a stored XSS in the Textile formatter, and lands them on all three supported series at once. Alongside the real releases the feed also carries version-index wiki pages captured as entries, which are crawl artifacts rather than releases.
OpenProject vs Redmine: editorial side-by-side
OpenProject's MCP Server gains write access — AI agents can now create tasks, add comments, and manage relations.
◆ Current state
OpenProject 17.8.0 marks the most significant AI integration milestone in the product's history: the MCP Server can now create and update work packages, add comments, and manage relations — moving from a read-only query layer to a write-capable AI agent interface. The same release adds multiple target versions per work package, sprints and milestones to the project timeline, and relation display in the free Community edition. OpenProject 17.7.0 laid the organizational management foundation: departments, work-related user attributes, and individual work schedules for capacity planning.
◆ Where it's heading
The two-track development pattern is clear: broader project management capabilities for enterprises (resource management, capacity planning, PM² methodology support) and a rapidly maturing AI interface through the MCP Server. The progression from read-only MCP to write-capable MCP is a qualitative shift — AI assistants become active project participants rather than passive query tools. The XWiki integration in 17.6.0 shows the platform also extending into enterprise knowledge management.
◆ Prediction
The logical next step is workflow automation via the MCP Server — AI agents that can trigger status transitions, query resource availability from the 17.7.0 capacity data, or auto-assign work packages based on department membership. The data model is in place; the automation layer is the missing piece.
Redmine
2.5PM
Twenty years in, Redmine is on a disciplined security-patch cadence behind its first major release since 6.0.
◆ Current state
Redmine shipped 7.0.0 at the end of June with webhook triggers, a Rails 8 migration, and a header redesign, then followed it eight weeks later with 7.0.1 alongside backports to the 6.1 and 6.0 branches. That August release fixes five security defects, including a session-affecting API flaw and a stored XSS in the Textile formatter, and lands them on all three supported series at once. Alongside the real releases the feed also carries version-index wiki pages captured as entries, which are crawl artifacts rather than releases.
◆ Where it's heading
The maintenance pattern is consistent and easy to read: coordinated multi-branch security releases roughly every two to three months, with the newest series also collecting performance and API work. Redmine 7.0.1 adds project information to the wiki page list API and fixes an OAuth2-related user deletion bug, so the 7.0 branch is absorbing polish rather than new capability. The three-branch support window is holding steady as 5.1 drops off the list.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next coordinated release to cover 7.0, 6.1, and 6.0 on the same schedule, with continued API and OAuth2 refinement on the 7.0 branch rather than new features before 7.1.
Alternatives to OpenProject and Redmine
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 OpenProject or Redmine.
NocoBase
NocoBase adds an AI knowledge base retrieval API, connecting no-code workflows to external knowledge sources.
RentRedi
RentRedi embeds AI into its maintenance workflow end-to-end, handling tenant intake and drafting landlord replies.
Camunda
Camunda 8.10 alpha cycles through broad platform bug fixes while 8.7 gets routine security patches
Asana
Asana embeds AI into Slack threads and closes the rich-text gap with Notion
Rize
Rize pivots from solo time tracker to agency operations platform with invoicing, profitability reporting, and a ChatGPT integration.
See all OpenProject alternatives → · See all Redmine alternatives →
Recent activity from OpenProject and Redmine
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 14d agoOpenProjectOpenProject 17.8.0 ⚡
- 21d agoRedmineRedmine 7.0.1, 6.1.4 and 6.0.11 released
- 1mo agoOpenProjectOpenProject 17.7.2: bug fix release
- 1mo agoOpenProjectOpenProject 17.7.1: bug fix release
- 1mo agoOpenProjectOpenProject 17.7.0
- 2mo agoOpenProjectOpenProject 17.6.0
- 2mo agoRedmineRedmine 7.0.0 is now available ⚡
- 3mo agoRedmineRedmine 6.1.3, 6.0.10 and 5.1.13 released
- 3mo agoOpenProjectOpenProject 17.5.1: bug fix release
- 6mo agoRedmineRedmine 6.1.2, 6.0.9 and 5.1.12 released
- 6mo agoRedmine1.1.x series
- 6mo agoRedmine1.4.x series
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OpenProject and Redmine?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. OpenProject is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is OpenProject better than Redmine?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. OpenProject is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other PM products to evaluate alongside.
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.
What are the best alternatives to Redmine?
Top Redmine alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Redmine alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/redmine for the full list with editorial commentary on each.