OpenProject Review: Pros, Cons, Features, and Pricing
OpenProject is a project planning software that helps teams manage tasks, timelines, and resources efficiently. It best serves nonprofits, IT departments, and construction teams needing collaborative project management. OpenProject offers open-source flexibility to tailor project management to your team's specific needs.
OpenProject addresses collaboration and transparency issues for IT and construction teams. In this article, I'll cover OpenProject's features, pros and cons, use cases, and pricing so you can decide if it's suitable for your project management needs and goals.
OpenProject Evaluation Summary
- From $7.25/user/month (billed annually, 25 user minimum)
- Free plan + free trial available
Why You Can Trust Us
We’ve been testing and reviewing project management software since 2012. As project managers ourselves, we know how critical and difficult it is to make the right decision when selecting software.
We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions. We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different project management use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & our software review methodology.
OpenProject Overview
In my opinion, OpenProject is a solid choice for teams seeking a customizable and cost-effective project planning solution. Its open-source nature allows for tailored integration, making it ideal for IT departments and construction teams. While it excels in flexibility and price, its user interface is less intuitive compared to competitors such as Asana or Trello. Its onboarding process might require more patience, but its value for money is excellent. If your team values customization and affordability over a slick interface, OpenProject is worth considering.
pros
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You can customize it to fit your team's unique needs.
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It offers strong collaboration tools for team projects.
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You have access to a wide range of project management features.
cons
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The user interface isn't as intuitive as some competitors.
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Your team might find the onboarding process a bit slow.
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Customer support response times can be improved.
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Our Review Methodology
How We Test & Score Tools
We’ve spent years building, refining, and improving our software testing and scoring system. The rubric is designed to capture the nuances of software selection and what makes a tool effective, focusing on critical aspects of the decision-making process.
Below, you can see exactly how our testing and scoring works across seven criteria. It allows us to provide an unbiased evaluation of the software based on core functionality, standout features, ease of use, onboarding, customer support, integrations, customer reviews, and value for money.
Core Functionality (25% of final scoring)
The starting point of our evaluation is always the core functionality of the tool. Does it have the basic features and functions that a user would expect to see? Are any of those core features locked to higher-tiered pricing plans? At its core, we expect a tool to stand up against the baseline capabilities of its competitors.
Standout Features (25% of final scoring)
Next, we evaluate uncommon standout features that go above and beyond the core functionality typically found in tools of its kind. A high score reflects specialized or unique features that make the product faster, more efficient, or offer additional value to the user.
We also evaluate how easy it is to integrate with other tools typically found in the tech stack to expand the functionality and utility of the software. Tools offering plentiful native integrations, 3rd party connections, and API access to build custom integrations score best.
Ease of Use (10% of final scoring)
We consider how quick and easy it is to execute the tasks defined in the core functionality using the tool. High scoring software is well designed, intuitive to use, offers mobile apps, provides templates, and makes relatively complex tasks seem simple.
Onboarding (10% of final scoring)
We know how important rapid team adoption is for a new platform, so we evaluate how easy it is to learn and use a tool with minimal training. We evaluate how quickly a team member can get set up and start using the tool with no experience. High scoring solutions indicate little or no support is required.
Customer Support (10% of final scoring)
We review how quick and easy it is to get unstuck and find help by phone, live chat, or knowledge base. Tools and companies that provide real-time support score best, while chatbots score worst.
Customer Reviews (10% of final scoring)
Beyond our own testing and evaluation, we consider the net promoter score from current and past customers. We review their likelihood, given the option, to choose the tool again for the core functionality. A high scoring software reflects a high net promoter score from current or past customers.
Value for Money (10% of final scoring)
Lastly, in consideration of all the other criteria, we review the average price of entry level plans against the core features and consider the value of the other evaluation criteria. Software that delivers more, for less, will score higher.
Core Features
Task Management: You can quickly organize and assign tasks, set deadlines, and track projects in real time. This keeps your team on the same page and projects on track.
Gantt Charts: Visualize your work packages with Gantt charts that help you plan and manage tasks effectively.
Time Tracking: Track time allocation for your entire project with built-in time-tracking tools. This helps you manage resources and improve productivity.
Project Templates: Use predefined templates to kick-start your projects quickly. This saves you time and ensures consistency across projects.
Document Management: Store and manage all your project documents in one place. This improves collaboration and reduces the risk of losing important files.
Issue Tracking: Identify and resolve issues efficiently with a dedicated issue-tracking feature. This ensures no part of your project gets missed.
Ease of Use
OpenProject offers a solid set of features, but its interface can feel less intuitive than some competitors. You might find navigating through its menus a bit overwhelming at first. However, once you get familiar with its layout, you’ll appreciate the depth of functionality it offers. If your team is willing to invest some time in learning, you’ll benefit from its powerful project and team management capabilities.
Integrations
OpenProject integrates with Nextcloud, OneDrive, SharePoint, GitHub, and GitLab.
OpenProject also provides an API for custom integrations and connects with community plugins to expand its functionality.
OpenProject Specs
- API
- Batch Permissions & Access
- Budgeting
- Calendar Management
- Collaboration Support
- Contact Management
- Contact Sharing
- Customer Management
- Dashboard
- Dashboards
- Data Export
- Data Import
- Data Visualization
- Dependency Tracking
- Document Sharing
- Expense Tracking
- External Integrations
- File Sharing
- Gantt Charts
- Kanban Boards
- Multi-User
- Notifications
- Project Management
- Resource Management
- Scheduling
- Task Scheduling/Tracking
- Third-Party Plugins/Add-Ons
- Time Management
- Travel Management
- Workflow Management
