project-open

project-open is an open-source application for service-industry organizations that need project management alongside IT service management and professional services automation. It suits teams prepared to configure or host their own business software; its breadth is compelling, but paid editions bring a 20-license minimum.

Overview

Rather than treating projects, service tickets and billing as separate jobs, project-open brings them into one application. Its project tools cover planning, staffing, tracking, collaboration and accounting, while portfolio management adds cross-project dependencies, project approvals and resource and capacity management. That range makes it a strong candidate for service organizations coordinating complex work across teams. It may be more system than a small team seeking only a lightweight project tracker needs.

The project began in 2003; Project Open Business Solutions S.L. was established in Barcelona in 2012. The maker describes the product as open source and offers both free and commercial editions.

Key features

Projects, portfolios and services

Portfolio tools connect work across projects, with support for dependencies, initiation and approval, and capacity planning. This is useful when staffing and priorities have to be managed across a portfolio rather than one project at a time. Time tracking, expenses, invoicing, payments and absence management extend that view into professional services operations.

The ITSM modules cover incidents, helpdesk, changes, configuration, software releases and service-level agreements. Organizations that need both delivery and internal or customer-facing service workflows can consolidate those functions in the same application. That breadth also means it is a less natural fit for a team that wants a narrow, ready-to-use task app.

Integrations, API and security

Integrations and import modules include LDAP, Navision/UBL, SAP FI, JIRA import and OTRS import. An OpenACS API Browser and XML-RPC package are included, and an installation wiki lists a REST interface module. These options can help connect project-open to existing systems, though the named imports and interfaces do not amount to a promise of turnkey integration with every tool.

Security measures described by the maker include checks on page-contract parameters, a database interface intended to block SQL injection, XSS filtering and a semi-automatic security checker. Automation rules and guest access are also supported. Organizations should weigh these capabilities against their own deployment and security requirements.

Pricing

Community Edition

Community Edition is free: free. It provides freely available modules and unlimited users on Linux. The free Windows installer is suited to 5–6 concurrent users, so organizations expecting heavier Windows use should consider another deployment or edition. This is the clearest starting point for teams willing to run the software themselves.

Professional and Enterprise editions

Professional Edition costs €12 a month, billed per employee per month, with a 20-license minimum and two support requests per year. Enterprise Edition costs €24 a month on the same per-employee, per-month basis and 20-license minimum, and includes six support requests per year. Both allow unlimited users on Linux. The higher tier raises the annual support-request allowance, but the minimum commitment makes either edition a poor match for a small team buying only a handful of seats. The maker professionally supports these installations and offers additional support options by inquiry.

Hosted plans

Standard, Professional and Platinum hosted plans have custom pricing. Standard includes 1 GB of disk space, 5 GB of transfer volume and five users; Professional includes 2 GB, 10 GB and ten users; Platinum includes 10 GB, 20 GB and twenty users. All include unlimited database storage. Those included user counts and storage quotas distinguish the hosted plans from the Linux editions, which allow unlimited users; the maker does not state a price for these hosted tiers.

The SaaS option provides a private server with full project-open administrator privileges, managed by the project-open team. For organizations that want a managed environment without giving up administrator access, that is a useful middle ground between self-hosting and a more restricted hosted service.

Platforms

Project-open supports Linux, Windows, web access, APIs and self-hosted deployment. Installation options include native Linux, Windows, VMware virtual machines and Docker, with SaaS hosting also offered. This deployment range suits organizations with infrastructure preferences or internal hosting requirements, but teams seeking a single managed cloud setup should compare the SaaS offer with their operational needs.

Who it's for

Project-open is best suited to service organizations that want project delivery, resource management, ITSM and billing-related workflows in one open-source system, and have the capacity to operate or configure business software. Community Edition makes it possible to start without a license charge. Smaller firms that need paid support should look closely at the 20-license floor and modest annual request allowances before committing.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Project, portfolio, ITSM and PSA functions share one application, which fits organizations managing both service delivery and operational workflows.
• Pro: Linux editions support unlimited users, making the commercial per-employee pricing structure less restrictive on that platform than a fixed user cap.
• Pro: Self-hosted, SaaS and multiple installation formats give organizations meaningful deployment choice.
• Con: Professional and Enterprise require at least 20 licenses, a significant commitment for smaller teams.
• Con: Commercial editions include only two or six support requests per year, respectively, so organizations needing frequent assistance may need additional support.
• Con: The free Windows installer is suited to only 5–6 concurrent users, limiting its appeal for busier Windows deployments.

Alternatives

For a focused agency project-management shortlist, see Agency Project Management Software; for broader project tools, browse Project Management Software.

Choose TideFlow instead if a web-based freemium tool with a free trial fits better: its Free Forever plan costs nothing and caps usage at one user, two workspaces and three projects while allowing unlimited tasks. Kantata is another PSA option, with pricing tailored to company size, goals and working style. Infor Learning Management System is a paid, web-based option with a free trial.

Streamtime offers a freemium plan and free trial, with custom subscription pricing based on team size and annual billing among its stated factors. Whizible is a paid web option with pricing by inquiry. Certinia Professional Services Cloud is a paid alternative centered on resources, projects and financials. Deltek Maconomy is an enterprise ERP for professional services firms, with pricing by demo request and no free plan. Scoro is a paid option with a free trial and a Time-billing plan at $17 a month.

Verdict

Choose project-open if your service organization wants project management, ITSM and professional services automation in one open-source application, with Linux or self-hosted deployment options. Community Edition is free; organizations considering the paid Professional or Enterprise editions should account for their 20-license minimums and included annual support request limits. Look elsewhere if you need a smaller paid seat commitment, or if your team only needs a simple project tracker.