OpenProject alternative with on-premises option
OpenProject is open source, comes from Berlin and runs in-house. What WORKSPACE.PM brings above the single project, where OpenProject puts functions into Enterprise add-ons and what the difference costs per user.
At a glance
- Network diagram with critical path and float; OpenProject does not document a critical path.
- Risk simulation, utilization matrix, cost types and earned value in every account; at OpenProject team planner and baseline as Enterprise add-ons.
- German GmbH from Hanover, hosting exclusively in Germany or on-premises; OpenProject hosts in the EU, Germany on request.
- OpenProject Professional €10.95 per user from 25 users; WORKSPACE.PM around €17 with network calculation, risk simulation and utilization matrix included.
Who this question is for
Three situations in which universities, public administrations and companies weigh OpenProject against WORKSPACE.PM.
In-house operation is mandatory
In-house operation is a given. The question is then no longer the location but what happens above the single project: portfolio, capacity across projects, risk simulation, cost types and evidence to committees.
The Enterprise add-ons add up
Baseline comparison, team planner, SAML SSO, action boards and time entry restrictions sit in OpenProject’s Enterprise edition from 25 users. WORKSPACE.PM has no add-ons; every account has everything.
Dates must be calculated, not drawn
Anyone who needs a network diagram with float, dependencies with four types and cross-project milestone dependencies finds Gantt with follows relations at OpenProject; OpenProject does not document a critical path.
What WORKSPACE.PM brings
The difference starts above the single project: dates calculated instead of drawn, risks simulated, capacity across all projects, costs by cost type and evidence with approval. Six areas in which WORKSPACE.PM goes beyond work packages, Gantt and boards.
Features compared
From scheduling to AI, row by row.
| Criterion | WORKSPACE.PM | OpenProject |
|---|---|---|
| Network diagram and critical path | Forward and backward pass, early/late start and finish, total float per task, dedicated network view with cycle check | Gantt chart with relations and lag; a critical path is not documented |
| Baseline and milestone trend analysis | Several baselines per project, compare any two, delta calculated, history browsable; milestone trend analysis as a dedicated view across the project’s reporting dates with a trend rating per milestone | Baseline comparison across periods as an Enterprise add-on (cloud and on-premises); milestone trend analysis not documented |
| Capacity and utilization planning | Organization-wide utilization matrix for people and machines, availability check including absences, in every plan | Team planner as an Enterprise add-on; organization-wide utilization matrix not documented |
| Risk simulation | Monte Carlo with PERT distribution, 10,000 iterations, P50/P80/P90, reserve as cost item; bowtie diagram | Not documented |
| Earned value | PV, EV and AC recorded per as-of date, earned value dashboard | Not documented |
| Status reports | Three-stage approval workflow (draft, submitted, approved), locked as-of snapshots, roll-up into the portfolio | Project status attribute with explanation on the project overview; approval workflow not documented |
| Risk register | Register with gross/net rating, 5×5 matrix, review cycles of 30 to 365 days, review history, convert risk to task | Risk as a work package type; rating system, matrix and review cycles not documented |
| Dependencies | FS/SS/FF/SF with lag, by text entry (e.g. 6.4FF+3) or by dragging; cross-project between milestones of different projects | Relations “follows” and “precedes” with lag in days, automatic or manual scheduling; further relation types not documented |
| Work breakdown structure and progress | WBS codes automatic or manual, stable as an external reference; seven progress methods (0/50/100, 0/100, from Kanban, from sub-containers and more) | Hierarchy via parent-child work packages; WBS codes and progress methods not documented |
| Traditional and agile in the same project | Network diagram, Scrum backlog with sprint board, burndown and velocity, Kanban in the same project | Gantt and basic boards in the Community edition; action boards and backlogs as an Enterprise add-on |
| Resources per work package | Several people and machines per work package with planned and actual effort; actuals derivable from time tracking | One assignee and one accountable per work package; effort shares of several people not documented |
| Skill pools | Book effort on a skill before the person is known; resolve to people or machines later | Not documented |
| Time tracking | Weekly timesheets with one- or two-stage approval, auto-approval within tolerance, bulk approval | Log time per work package; time entry restrictions as an Enterprise add-on; approval workflow not documented |
| Cost types and forecast | Tenant-wide catalogue with account number and Capex/Opex; cost forecast from bookings | Cost types for unit costs with rate history, budgets per project; account number and Capex/Opex not documented |
| Personnel costs | Automatically from assignment or time tracking times hourly rate, plan and actual; daily rates per attribute or person | Costs from logged time and configured rates |
| Measures and early indicators | Preventive and corrective measures with reduction value, cost and deadline; key risk indicators with threshold alerts | Not documented |
| Change requests and quality gates | Change request register with category, impact dimensions, approvers and risk link; quality gates with release criteria in the structure tree | Change request as a work package type; impact dimensions, approvers and quality gates not documented |
| Responsibility matrix and stakeholders | Responsibility matrix (A/E/I/K/M/P) per project; stakeholder register with action plan, environment analysis and stakeholder portfolio | Not documented |
| Meetings and decisions | Minutes with mentions, decisions with approval status, series evaluation of open items, Outlook coupling | Meetings module with agenda, minutes, recurring meetings and linked work packages; decisions with approval status not documented |
| Requirements management | Presets for Automotive SPICE and V-Modell XT, verification items with runs, audit trail | Not documented |
| Goals and strategy | Strategy fields, OKR cycles, six key result types, alignment matrix, gap analysis | Not documented |
| AI assistant | Assistant acts only after approval; own provider key or local model; AI-supported risk detection | Not documented |
| Import of schedule files | MS Project (.mpp, XML) including dependencies and assignments; Primavera P6 and Asta Powerproject; CSV for projects, Kanban cards and users; Trello import | Excel synchronization via an add-in; MS Project sync not actively maintained according to the integrations page |
Law, operations and licensing
What data protection reviews and procurement ask for.
| Criterion | WORKSPACE.PM | OpenProject |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor and headquarters | AMNAU GmbH, Hanover (Germany) | OpenProject GmbH, Berlin (Germany); open-source software under GPLv3 |
| Governing law and jurisdiction | German law, place of jurisdiction Hanover | German GmbH; data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR public; venue according to the contract terms |
| Server location | German data centers only (SaaS, Managed Hosting) or your own data center | Enterprise cloud in EU data centers, hosting in Germany on request; Community and Enterprise on-premises on your own infrastructure |
| Data outside the region | None; exception: optional AI features with an external model provider | According to the vendor no personal data stored outside the EU; IaaS providers certified to ISO 27001 |
| US legal entity (CLOUD Act) | No US legal entity in the processing chain | German legal entity; the cloud’s infrastructure providers are not named on the security page |
| On-premises | Docker deployment in your own infrastructure with the same functional scope | Yes: Community edition free, Enterprise on-premises with add-ons and support |
| Editions and licensing | No editions; every account booked individually, €16.80 per month | Community free; Enterprise Basic €5.95 and Professional €10.95 per user and month from 25 users, Premium €15.95 from 100 users, Corporate from 250 users on request; Enterprise add-ons include baseline, team planner, SSO, action boards |
Statements about OpenProject from its public documentation (pricing page, docs, security page); statements about WORKSPACE.PM from the feature catalogue of the current version. Reviewed: September 7, 2026.
Where the differences lie
Three points decide the question in practice.
Scheduling logic
Calculated instead of drawn
WORKSPACE.PM calculates the network diagram forward and backward, outputs early/late dates and total float per task, knows four dependency types with lag and compares any two baselines. OpenProject offers Gantt with follows and precedes relations and baseline comparison as an Enterprise add-on; OpenProject does not document a critical path.
Above the project
Capacity, risk and costs across all projects
Organization-wide utilization matrix for people and machines, skill pools, risk register with simulation, cost types with account number and earned value are included in every WORKSPACE.PM account. OpenProject documents the team planner as an Enterprise add-on, risk as a work package type, and unit costs and budgets per project.
Framework
Two German vendors, two models
OpenProject is open source under GPLv3, the Community edition is free, Enterprise starts at €5.95 from 25 users, hosting in Germany on request. WORKSPACE.PM has one price for everything: €99 including five accounts plus €16.80 per additional one, without add-ons, exclusively in German data centers or in-house.
Prices side by side
Compared is OpenProject Enterprise Professional, the plan with phone support, from 25 users; the table shows the gap per team size.
| Users | WORKSPACE.PM SaaS per month | per user | OpenProject Enterprise Professional per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | €435 | €17.40 per user and month | €273.75 |
| 50 | €855 | €17.10 per user and month | €547.50 |
| 100 | €1,695 | €16.95 per user and month | €1,095 |
WORKSPACE.PM SaaS: €99 base price per month including 5 accounts, each additional account €16.80 per month, billed monthly, all amounts net. OpenProject Enterprise Professional: €10.95 per user and month, minimum 25 users; Basic €5.95 from 25, Premium €15.95 from 100 users; Community edition free.
The price difference is around €160 per month at 25 users and around €600 at 100 users. Included in it are the functions above the project: network calculation, risk simulation, utilization matrix, cost types, earned value, status reports with approval, requirements management and the AI assistant.
The full calculation for your team size is on the pricing page and in the ROI calculator.
Migration in practice
Which path, what carries over and what takes shape in the new system.
Inventory
Which projects, work package types, custom fields and boards are in production? Which time entries and budgets must be preserved?
Export from OpenProject
Secure work packages with fields via the CSV or Excel export per project; export time entries and cost reports separately; download wiki pages and attachments.
Import into WORKSPACE.PM
Projects, Kanban cards and users arrive via CSV import with field mapping and preview; other sources via the REST API.
Build the network diagram
The work package hierarchy becomes the structure tree with WBS codes; follows relations become dependencies, the network diagram is calculated, the first baseline set.
Add steering
Risk register with rating, cost types, capacity planning across projects and status reports with approval are created in the new system.
Parallel run and cutover
One reporting cycle in parallel, then a hard cutover. Anyone staying on-premises runs WORKSPACE.PM as a Docker deployment on the same infrastructure.
How long it takes
The data path is a CSV export and import. The time goes into the scheduling logic and steering structure that did not exist in this form in OpenProject. How much that means for your projects is what we clarify in a 30-minute migration call based on an export.
What is set up fresh
- Workflows and status transitions: set up as workflows.
- Comment threads: save via the API if needed.
- Wiki pages and minutes: export and create in the wiki and meetings module.
- Attachments: save and upload again.
Frequently asked questions: OpenProject alternative
What universities, public administrations and IT leaders ask about OpenProject and WORKSPACE.PM.
Yes. WORKSPACE.PM runs on-premises as a Docker deployment with the same functional scope as in the cloud, from €1,699 per month with 50 accounts.
OpenProject does not document a critical path. OpenProject offers Gantt with follows and precedes relations and lag. WORKSPACE.PM calculates the network diagram with forward and backward scheduling, total float per task and a dedicated network view.
OpenProject is cheaper per user: Enterprise Professional costs €10.95 per user and month from 25 users, the Community edition is free. WORKSPACE.PM costs €99 including five accounts plus €16.80 per additional one, at 50 users €855 versus €547.50. The difference includes network calculation, risk simulation, utilization matrix, cost types, earned value and the AI assistant.
According to the pricing page and documentation, among others baseline comparison, team planner, SAML SSO, LDAP group synchronization, custom field types, action boards, Gantt PDF export, time entry restrictions and automated workflows. WORKSPACE.PM has no add-ons.
In EU data centers; OpenProject offers hosting in Germany on request. The vendor states it uses only IaaS providers certified to ISO 27001 and stores no personal data outside the EU. WORKSPACE.PM hosts exclusively in German data centers.
Yes, via the CSV or Excel export of work packages and the CSV import in WORKSPACE.PM for projects, Kanban cards and users. Network diagram, risk register and cost types are added as functions; wiki pages and attachments move into the wiki and file storage.
Yes: minutes with mentions, decisions with approval status, recurring meetings with evaluation of open items and Outlook coupling.
More comparisons
All comparisons in one checklistReviewed: September 7, 2026. Statements about the compared product come from its publicly available information and are re-checked every six months. Statements about WORKSPACE.PM refer to the current version.