Basecamp vs. OpenProject

Project management (PM) software systems have automated processes to make project completion easier. Thanks to resource planning, team collaboration, time tracking, and task distribution features, businesses gain productivity and efficiency. Quality outputs are delivered on time while still keeping cost and resources under control. These products break geographic barriers by allowing managers to remotely supervise members and mitigate risks by identifying project weak points.

With a PM software, users can benefit from budgeting and expense tracking, analysis and report, task management, time tracking, resource allocation, forecasting, scheduling, and planning features.

We evaluate two popular project management systems: Basecamp vs. OpenProject. We’ll compare their features, integrations, and pricing models to help you decide on the more suitable product for your business. Use ourProduct Selection Tool to receive five recommendations from our Technology Advisors for free. It’s easy to use and takes only five minutes.

Basecamp vs. OpenProject: An overview

Basecamp is a cloud-based project management software with a wide set of features designed for all business sizes and types such as client service firms, start ups, and non-profit organizations. It allows for team collaboration, multi-project management, and communication throughout a project’s life cycle. It has calendar, to-do lists, and file sharing to keep track of project progress. Basecamp has a mobile app that can be accessed from various devices.

OpenProject is an open-source project management solution for all business sizes. It comes with code management, time and cost reporting, document management, and issue tracking features. Use it to collect ideas, archive projects for references, and specify project deliverables and scope. It has custom reports that provide information on resource allocation and project performance.

Read also: Wrike vs. Basecamp: A Project Management Software Comparison

Basecamp vs. OpenProject: A comparison of features

Basecamp offers team collaboration features and more:

• To-do lists: Task distribution is easier with customizable to-do lists. Users can assign tasks to different members, set due dates, and follow up on overdue tasks. They can add notes, attach files, and comment directly on tasks.
• Message boards: Basecamp keeps entire conversations about various topics on one page for clearer and more transparent team communication. It eliminates the need to dig through emails and reassemble stories. Users can applaud messages and comments and share messages with everyone or to select members.
• Scheduling: Every project has a calendar with dated events and to-dos. Users can add time and dates and add people to notify of changes. The calendars can be integrated with iCal, Outlook, and Google Calendar.
• Document and file storage: Basecamp has a built-in storage for sharing documents, images, and files. Link Google docs in the software, drag and drop files to upload, and color-code files for organization.
• Real-time group chat: Campfire is Basecamp’s real-time group chat. Members can @mention anyone for attention or to ask questions. Emojis, sounds, and video are available to make conversations more fun.

OpenProject helps teams and organizations accomplish more tasks with its features:

• Tasks: Users can create and assign tasks to members, set due dates and priorities, and make to-do lists. Teams can create task dependencies and define recurring tasks that can be automatically scheduled at predefined intervals.
• Projects: Create work breakdown structures based on project scope, and map out projects with milestones, deliverables, and due dates. Basecamp provides a visual representation of tasks through Gantt charts. Its calendar view shows project schedule and due dates.
• Communication: Use OpenProject to communicate with team members with ease. It has wiki documentation for keeping useful product documentation and a community forum for interacting and asking questions. The software comes with a medium for user suggestions on product improvement.
• Planning: Managers can measure member work capacity for a given sprint and rank the priority of tasks. OpenProject offers Kanban boards for better project visualization.

Basecamp vs. OpenProject: A comparison of prices

Basecamp has two pricing models: Basecamp Business and Basecamp Personal. The Basecamp Business is beneficial to all business sizes and offers all features with unlimited projects and users. The software has no per-user fees but has a 30-day trial that can be canceled anytime. Users receive priority support, project templates, advanced client access, and 500-GB data storage.

Basecamp Personal is useful to starting companies and individual users because it is a limited — but free — app. It allows for up to three projects, 20 users, and 1-GB data storage. 

Basecamp offers a 15% discount when users pay for a year upfront. Teachers, students, and non-profit organizations can get free Basecamp accounts.

OpenProject has a 3-tiered pricing plan: Community, Cloud, and Enterprise. The Community Plan is free and suitable for starting companies. The Cloud Plan is for small teams with a minimum of five members and is charged on a per user, per month basis. The Enterprise Plan is for large companies with powerful features, professional support, and high security. Interested parties can contact the vendor directly for detailed pricing and product information.

Basecamp vs. OpenProject: A comparison of integrations

Basecamp’s integrations with other apps allow for smoother workflow and processes:

• TaskClone
• Field Trip
• Timeshift Messenger
• Zoho Flow
• Mr.Todo
• Retool

OpenProject seamlessly integrates with other apps for easier collaboration:

• Gitlab
• Jira
• Microsoft Project
• Toggl
• Slack

Takeaways: Basecamp vs. OpenProject

Your business’s success requires the right project management software. Both Basecamp and OpenProject are leaders in the industry with collaboration and communication tools. They have free plans and scheduling features that help starting companies and individual users. Both products integrate with other apps to reduce time switching between apps. However, their differences are an important point to consider when choosing your business’s software.

Basecamp’s document file storage is beneficial to all business sizes because it makes file sharing easier. However, OpenProject’s wiki documentation is better because it provides a community forum where users can interact and ask questions beyond existing teams.

Basecamp’s Campfire is a great real-time group chat where users can be more relaxed and less serious. It’s an escape to talk about non-work-related things without leaving the software.

If you want more options, feel free to use our freeProduct Selection Tool.