Looking for a free or open-source alternative to Trello? Boardly is the closest direct swap — MIT-licensed source on GitHub, or a $19 one-time packaged install. Since you're already auditing what you pay Trello every month, here are four more pay-once tools from the same catalog worth a look while you're at it — different jobs, same idea: buy the software once instead of renting it forever.
1. Boardly — replaces Trello
Self-hosted kanban — drag & drop boards, checklists, labels, attachments, full JSON export. $19 once vs Trello's $5/user/mo. Free on GitHub, or the packaged installer on Whop.
See Boardly → · Source on GitHub
2. Timevault — Self-hosted time tracking — one-click timers, hourly rates, weekly timesheets, billable reports.
Replaces Toggl ($10/user/mo). $29 once. See Timevault →
3. Streakly — Local habit tracking with a fair streak engine, GitHub-style heatmaps and reminders.
Replaces Habitify ($5/mo). $15 once. See Streakly →
4. Deepdesk — Pomodoro engine, session intents, floating mini timer, generated ambient noise & focus stats.
Replaces Centered (~$10/mo). $15 once. See Deepdesk →
5. Quillpad — Fast desktop notes with wikilinks, backlinks, tags, daily notes and global quick capture.
Replaces Notion ($12/mo per seat). $29 once. See Quillpad →
Why this list is worth bookmarking
Every app above is a one-time purchase with MIT-licensed source, no accounts with us and no telemetry. None of them are trying to be the next Trello — they're trying to be the last subscription you pay for that specific job.
Try Boardly — $19, once
Self-hosted kanban — drag & drop boards, checklists, labels, attachments, full JSON export.