Focalboard Review (2026): Pricing, Features & Honest Verdict
TLDR
Focalboard is a free, open-source project board tool from Mattermost. Kanban, tables, gallery, and calendar views with full self-hosting. Best for: privacy-focused devs and Mattermost teams. Price: Free. Rating: 7.6/10
What is Focalboard?
Focalboard is an open-source project management tool that gives you Trello-style boards, Notion-style tables, gallery views, and calendar views in one package. Built by the team behind Mattermost, it is designed as a self-hosted alternative to commercial tools like Trello, Asana, and Notion’s database feature.
You can run it as a desktop app for personal use or deploy it as a Mattermost plugin for team collaboration. All your data stays on your own infrastructure.
Key Features
Multiple Board Views
Every board supports four view types: Kanban (drag-and-drop columns), Table (spreadsheet-style rows), Gallery (card grid with images), and Calendar (date-based layout). You can switch between views instantly and create multiple saved views with different filters.
Custom Properties
Add custom fields to cards including text, numbers, dates, selects, multi-selects, checkboxes, URLs, and people. Properties are flexible enough to track whatever metadata your workflow demands. Filtering and grouping work across all property types.
Templates
Focalboard ships with built-in templates for common use cases: meeting notes, content calendar, project tasks, roadmap, and more. You can create your own templates from any board and share them with your team.
Desktop App
The standalone desktop app runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux. It stores everything locally in a SQLite database. No server, no account, no internet connection required. It is genuinely private.
Mattermost Integration
When deployed as a Mattermost plugin, Focalboard gains multi-user collaboration, channel-linked boards, and permission controls. Board updates can post to channels, and you can link cards to Mattermost conversations.
Pricing Breakdown
Focalboard itself is completely free and open source under the MIT-like license. The desktop app costs nothing. The Mattermost plugin is free too, but running Mattermost at scale may push you toward their Professional plan at $10/user/month for features like AD/LDAP groups and SSO.
| Plan | Price | Plan Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Desktop | $0 | Single-user desktop app for Mac, Windows, Linux | Individual users wanting a local board tool |
| Mattermost Plugin | $0 | Multi-user boards integrated with Mattermost server | Teams already running Mattermost |
| Mattermost Professional | $10/user/mo | Boards plus advanced Mattermost features, AD/LDAP, SSO | Organizations needing enterprise collaboration |
Who Should Use Focalboard
Developers and technical teams who value data ownership will appreciate Focalboard. If you are already running Mattermost for team chat, adding Focalboard is a no-brainer since it plugs in with zero friction. Solo developers who want a fast, private task board without cloud dependencies will love the desktop app.
Who Should Skip It
Teams that need active development and a growing ecosystem should look elsewhere. Focalboard’s pace of updates has slowed, and the community is small compared to alternatives like Plane. If you do not use Mattermost and need multi-user collaboration, the setup cost of deploying Mattermost just for boards is hard to justify. Non-technical teams will find the self-hosting requirement a dealbreaker.
Alternatives
Trello
The original Kanban board tool for teams. Trello is cloud-hosted, polished, and has a massive Power-Up ecosystem. The free tier covers most small team needs. You trade data ownership for convenience and integrations.
Plane
A newer open-source project management tool with a modern UI. Plane offers issues, cycles, modules, and views. It is actively developed with a growing community, making it the strongest open-source contender right now.
Vikunja
Another self-hosted task management tool with Kanban boards, lists, and Gantt charts. Vikunja is lighter weight than Focalboard and does not require Mattermost. Good for individuals and small teams who want simple self-hosted task tracking.
Verdict
Focalboard delivers a clean, capable board experience for free. The desktop app is one of the best local task management tools available, and the Mattermost integration makes sense for teams already invested in that ecosystem. The concern is longevity: with development slowing and the standalone server gone, the future is uncertain. Use it if self-hosting and privacy are priorities, but keep an eye on alternatives like Plane that are gaining momentum. Score: 7.6/10
Focalboard Pros & Cons
What We Like
- Completely free and open source with no feature gating
- Self-hosted means full data ownership and privacy
- Multiple view types including Kanban, table, gallery, and calendar
- Clean interface that feels modern and responsive
What Could Be Better
- Development has slowed significantly since Mattermost shifted focus
- No standalone server mode anymore, requires Mattermost for multi-user
- Limited integrations compared to Trello or Notion
- Community is small which means fewer templates and plugins
Focalboard FAQ
Is Focalboard still being maintained?
Focalboard is still available as a Mattermost plugin and desktop app, but active development has slowed. Mattermost has shifted its focus to other areas. The standalone server was deprecated in favor of the plugin architecture.
Can I use Focalboard without Mattermost?
Yes, the personal desktop app works standalone on Mac, Windows, and Linux. But for multi-user collaboration, you need to run it as a Mattermost plugin, which means deploying a Mattermost server.
How does Focalboard compare to Trello?
Focalboard offers similar Kanban functionality plus table, gallery, and calendar views. The big difference is that Focalboard is self-hosted and free, while Trello is cloud-hosted with paid tiers. Trello has far more integrations and a larger ecosystem.
What is Focalboard?
Open source, self-hosted alternative to Trello and Notion boards. Kanban, table, gallery, and calendar views. Free forever if you host it yourself.
How much does Focalboard cost?
Focalboard pricing starts at Free (open source). A free plan is available.
Is Focalboard worth it?
Focalboard is a solid open-source board tool that covers the basics well. The desktop app is great for personal task management, and the Mattermost integration works for teams already on that platform. But the shrinking development activity and the requirement to run Mattermost for team use limit its appeal. If self-hosting and data ownership matter to you, it is worth a look. We rate it 7.6/10.
