OpenProject offers both a powerful Community edition and Enterprise plans tailored to different organizational needs. This often raises the question of which option is the best choice for your team or organization. While the Community edition is fully functional on its own, some teams require professional support, specific Enterprise add-ons, or Cloud hosting.

In this article, you will learn about the differences between Community and Enterprise, and how to easily upgrade or get started with an Enterprise plan.

Quick navigation:

• Why does OpenProject offer an Enterprise edition?
• What is the difference between the Community edition and the Enterprise edition?
• What are Enterprise add-ons?
• Why does OpenProject offer different Enterprise plans?
• How can you upgrade from the Community edition to OpenProject Enterprise?
• How can you get started with OpenProject Enterprise?

Why does OpenProject offer an Enterprise edition?

Since OpenProject is free (as defined by the Free Software Foundation) and open source software, you can download and run the software on your own infrastructure. It can be used free of charge in the Community edition. This edition is a fully functional project and task management solution and is used by teams and organizations of all sizes.

At the same time, some organizations rely on personal, reliable support when running OpenProject in business-critical or complex environments. Providing this kind of professional support requires dedicated resources and clear responsibilities. The Enterprise edition exists to offer exactly that, while ensuring that OpenProject remains sustainable and fully open source for everyone.

What is the difference between the Community edition and the Enterprise edition?

The OpenProject Community edition is free to use, fully open source, and provides a comprehensive set of project and task management features. It can be used without restrictions on the number of users or projects and is suitable for many teams and organizations as it is.

The Enterprise edition builds on the Community edition. It adds professional support and optional Enterprise add-ons for organizations with higher or more specific requirements, for example when OpenProject is used in business-critical environments or when additional services are needed. The Enterprise edition does not replace the Community edition, but extends it.

In short, the difference is not about access to the software itself. Both editions are fully open source and highly functional. The key difference lies in professional support, Enterprise add-ons, and additional service options.

	Community edition	Enterprise edition
License	Open source	Open source
Costs	Free of charge	Paid plans
Core functionality	Fully available	Fully available
Enterprise add-ons	Not included	Available
Professional support	Community-based	Included
Hosting options	Self-managed	Self-managed or hosted by OpenProject
Typical use cases	Teams with basic project and task management requirements	Organizations that need professional support or have specific requirements

Important

Support is the essence of OpenProject Enterprise: It is important to know that while the OpenProject Community edition is free and fully functional, it does not include personal support. Upgrade to get reliable, high-touch support from OpenProject senior support engineers with expert knowledge about running the software in business-critical environments. We are English, German, and French speaking!

What are Enterprise add-ons?

Enterprise add-ons are optional extensions that build on top of the OpenProject Community edition. They are designed to support more advanced or specific requirements that go beyond basic project and task management needs.

All Enterprise add-ons are developed as open source software. They are not a separate product, but integrate seamlessly into OpenProject and can be enabled as part of an Enterprise plan. Importantly, the Community edition remains fully functional without these add-ons.

Enterprise add-ons are therefore best understood as complementary enhancements. They allow organizations to extend OpenProject where needed, without changing the core principles of openness, transparency, and long-term maintainability. Still, the main benefit of the OpenProject Enterprise edition is the professional support.

Watch this video to learn about our current Enterprise add-ons:

Community first

OpenProject values a balance between community spirit and financial sustainability, which is a key element in OpenProject’s high user-friendliness and, for example, its comprehensive documentation, available free of charge to all users. One example of OpenProject’s commitment to the Community is that some Enterprise add-ons are released for the community edition over time.

As an example, here’s a list of Enterprise add-ons that have been released to the Community edition in the past:

• Attribute highlighting
• Graphs on project overview page
• Multi-select custom fields
• Display custom field columns/filters in project lists
• Basic agile boards

Why does OpenProject offer different Enterprise plans?

Organizations using OpenProject vary widely in size, structure, and requirements. Some mainly need professional support to operate OpenProject reliably, while others require specific Enterprise add-ons, additional services, or long-term guarantees for complex or regulated environments.

To address these different needs, OpenProject offers multiple Enterprise plans. This makes it possible to keep entry prices low for organizations that primarily need support, while also offering plans tailored to larger organizations with more specific or demanding requirements. The goal is not to bundle everything into a single plan, but to provide appropriate options for different use cases. Enterprise plans therefore reflect a fair and flexible approach: organizations only pay for the level of support and add-ons they actually need.

The introduction of different Enterprise plans is documented in the OpenProject 16.0 release notes.

Important

All OpenProject editions are fully built on GPLv3-licensed free and open source software and OpenProject is not an open core model. Enterprise plans are paid because they include professional support and services, not because the software itself is closed or proprietary.

How can you upgrade from the Community edition to OpenProject Enterprise?

Upgrading from the OpenProject Community edition to an Enterprise plan is straightforward and does not require a migration or a new installation. Your existing data, projects, and configurations remain unchanged.

Enterprise plans can be evaluated via a trial that activates the Enterprise add-ons and professional support for a limited time. If the trial ends without a subscription, the installation automatically returns to the Community edition.

This makes it easy to explore OpenProject Enterprise at your own pace and decide whether professional support or specific Enterprise add-ons are the right fit for your organization. Learn more about upgrading to Enterprise edition.

How can you get started with OpenProject Enterprise?

If you want to explore OpenProject Enterprise in more detail, there are several ways to get started. You can review the available Enterprise plans to understand which options best fit your organization’s needs, including professional support and optional Enterprise add-ons.

If you are already using the Community edition, you can start an Enterprise trial directly from your installation to evaluate the Enterprise add-ons and support in your own environment. Organizations that are new to OpenProject can also choose an Enterprise plan from the start, including hosted options.

If you have questions or specific requirements, the OpenProject team is available to help you find the right setup and plan for your organization.

Contact us.