project-open

project-open is a broad open-source business system for service organizations that need project delivery tied to service operations and professional-services administration. It suits teams willing to host or configure their own platform and coordinate work across many projects. Its functional range is impressive, but the commercial editions require a substantial minimum commitment.

Overview

Project-open combines project planning, staffing, tracking, collaboration and accounting with portfolio coordination, IT service management and professional services automation. That combination can replace a patchwork of project, ticketing and billing tools when those activities share people, data and processes. It is more system than a small team looking only for a lightweight task board needs.

The open-source project started in 2003, and Project Open Business Solutions S.L. was established in Barcelona in 2012. The maker offers a free Community Edition alongside paid Professional and Enterprise editions, plus hosted deployment options.

Key features

Project and portfolio control

Project functions cover planning, staffing, tracking, collaboration and accounting. Portfolio management adds cross-project dependencies, project initiation and approval, and resource and capacity management. These tools are relevant for agencies and service firms that must balance staffing and priorities across a portfolio rather than manage isolated assignments.

ITSM and professional services

ITSM modules handle incidents, helpdesk work, changes, configuration, software releases and service-level agreements. PSA functions extend into expenses, invoicing, payments, absences and time tracking. Together, they connect delivery work with the operational and financial tasks that follow it, although organizations seeking only one of these disciplines may find the scope excessive.

Access, integration and security

Guest access, automation rules and time tracking support mixed project teams and repeatable workflows. Integration and import options include LDAP, Navision/UBL, SAP FI, JIRA and OTRS. An OpenACS API Browser and XML-RPC package are included, and a REST interface module is documented for installations that need programmatic access.

Security measures include page-contract parameter checks, a database interface intended to block SQL injection, XSS filtering and a semi-automatic security checker. These are useful safeguards for a self-managed business application, but deployment responsibility remains with the organization running it.

Pricing

Community Edition

The Community Edition costs free. It includes freely available modules and unlimited users on Linux. The free Windows installer is suited to five to six concurrent users, making Linux the practical choice for larger free deployments. This is the strongest option for organizations with technical capacity that want to avoid per-employee fees.

Professional and Enterprise editions

Professional costs €12 per employee per month, with a minimum of 20 licenses and two support requests per year. Enterprise costs €24 per employee per month, also with a 20-license minimum, and raises the allowance to six support requests per year. Both provide unlimited Linux users. The minimum means even a smaller organization pays for 20 employees, so these editions make most sense when professional support is worth the fixed baseline cost.

Hosted plans

Standard, Professional and Platinum hosting plans have custom pricing. Standard includes 1 GB of disk space, 5 GB of transfer volume, five users and unlimited database storage. Professional provides 2 GB, 10 GB and 10 users; Platinum provides 10 GB, 20 GB and 20 users. Hosted customers receive a private server with full project-open administrator privileges managed by the project-open team.

Platforms

Project-open supports API access, Linux, Windows, web use and self-hosting. Deployment choices include Windows, VMware virtual machine, Docker and native Linux installations, and the software can run as SaaS. That flexibility favors organizations with a preferred infrastructure strategy, while the number of choices may demand more implementation planning than a purely hosted product.

Who it's for

Choose project-open for service organizations coordinating portfolios, staffing, support tickets, contracts, expenses and billing in one environment. It is particularly suited to teams comfortable with Linux or other self-hosted deployment, or to buyers prepared to use the maker-managed SaaS option. Small groups wanting a quick, narrowly focused project app should look elsewhere, and paid-edition buyers must be comfortable with the 20-license floor.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Unusually broad service scope: project, portfolio, ITSM and PSA functions share one system.
• Flexible deployment: self-hosted Linux, Windows, Docker, VMware and SaaS options cover different infrastructure policies.
• Strong free route: the Community Edition has no license charge and unlimited Linux users.
• Useful integration surface: LDAP, SAP FI, Navision/UBL, JIRA and OTRS options can reduce migration work.

Cons

• Paid minimum: Professional and Enterprise both require 20 licenses, which penalizes smaller teams.
• Support allowances are limited: the paid tiers include only two or six support requests per year.
• Operational overhead: self-hosting offers control but places installation and administration demands on the customer.
• Windows free-use ceiling: the free installer is aimed at only five to six concurrent users.

Alternatives

For agency-focused comparisons, see Agency Project Management Software; for a broader shortlist, see Project Management Software.

• TideFlow is a web-based freemium choice for a very small operation: its free plan supports one user, two workspaces and three projects while adding profitability reports, a client portal and file-share links.
• Deltek Maconomy is an enterprise professional-services ERP selected through a demo request rather than a published price.
• Scoro suits buyers wanting a paid, cross-platform service-management product with a free trial; its Time-billing plan is $17 per user per month.
• Synergist is a paid, self-hosted-capable option with a Foundation subscription starting at £300 a month plus onboarding.
• TimeLog offers paid project, time, expense and invoicing tools with a free trial; Starter is €14 per user per month.
• Workamajig targets in-house teams on paid plans for 10 or more users, including a 49.00 USD monthly tier.
• Infor Learning Management System is a paid platform with a free trial for organizations whose priority is learning management.
• Productive is a paid web and desktop option with a three-seat minimum; Essential costs $10 per user per month.

Verdict

Project-open is a strong choice for service organizations that need project and portfolio control connected to ITSM and PSA workflows, especially when self-hosting or open-source access matters. Its free Linux edition lowers the entry barrier, while paid support is available for larger commitments. Look elsewhere if you need a lightweight tracker, a small-team price model or a tightly managed turnkey experience without a 20-license minimum.