Basecamp vs Scrumboy
Choose Scrumboy when self-hosting and customizable kanban/sprint workflows are more important than Basecamp’s broad, integrated collaboration workspace. Choose Basecamp when projects depend on documented all-in-one coverage for discussions, chat, calendars, files, client access, check-ins, reporting, and timesheets; the supplied Scrumboy material centers instead on boards, issue tracking, workflows, and automation.
Decision guide
The practical reasons to choose either option, based on documented capabilities.
Choose Scrumboy if
- Small teams or solo builders operating a self-hosted kanban system
- Teams needing per-project workflows, sprints, tags, filtering, estimates, and audit trails
- Organizations requiring OIDC/SSO, 2FA, API access, webhooks, or MCP-compatible automation under their own operational control
Stay with Basecamp if
- Projects require built-in message boards, team chat, or direct messaging; equivalent Scrumboy coverage is not documented
- Teams need project/global calendars, recurring check-ins, status-report views, or timesheets
- Client collaboration depends on selectively exposing parts of a project; comparable client visibility controls are not documented for Scrumboy before migration planning begins switching away from Basecamp should verify a
Deployment and operations
Scrumboy is self-hostable under AGPL-3.0. It can run from an official multi-architecture Docker image, Docker Compose, Go source, or a Windows executable; no Kubernetes deployment is documented. Its default persistence is SQLite plus file-backed data under ./data or /data. Operators must mount and back up that data, and manage upgrades, TLS/reverse proxying, authentication configuration, encryption keys, SMTP, and disaster recovery themselves. Basic startup does not require an .env file, TLS, or
Migration considerations
No Basecamp-specific importer or compatibility path is documented. Scrumboy supports JSON export/import with merge or replace modes, but its JSON export omits uploaded wallpapers and audit events and is not a complete disaster-recovery backup; validate data mapping and retention before migration.
Feature fit
What Scrumboy covers
- Project-based work organization
- Kanban-style workflow boards
- Assigned tasks and status tracking
- Collaborative project updates
- Task notes and tags
- Automation interfaces
- Mobile-oriented access
What’s different or missing
- No documented message boards
- No documented chat or direct messages
- No documented project/global calendars
- No documented general file repository
- No documented recurring check-ins or status reports
- No documented client visibility controls
- No documented timesheets
Project snapshot
- GitHub stars
- 429
- Contributors
- 6
- Language
- Go
- Last commit
- Aug 16, 2026
- Latest release
- Aug 13, 2026
Categories: Calendars & Scheduling, Workflow Automation, Project Management, Task Management, Knowledge Management, Team Communication, Document Collaboration
Sources and editorial review12 linked sources
Public documentation supports this comparison. Automation assists collection and classification; editorial standards and corrections remain the responsibility of Kris.
Self-hosted kanban & project management with shareable boards, voice commands, sticky-notes, multi-language and MCP support
repository description · github.comCustom Workflows: You can create any combination of workflow you want, per project, with user-defined "Done" lane.
readme · github.comRealtime SSE enabled boards for instant multi-user actions.
readme · github.comSprints: create, activate, close; sprint filter on board; default sprint weeks (1 or 2) per project.
readme · github.comAnonymous shareable boards can be created in both Full & Anonymous deployments.
readme · github.comRuns in seconds. No setup required.
readme · github.comScrumboy is distributed as a container image on GitHub Container Registry.
readme · github.comSelf-hosted project management & issue-tracking solution + instant shareable & customizable boards + realtime collaboration, automation, API access and MCP-compatible client support
verdict · github.comCustom Workflows: You can create any combination of workflow you want, per project, with user-defined "Done" lane.
shared feature · github.comScrumboy is distributed as a container image on GitHub Container Registry:
deployment · github.comScrumboy creates runtime data under `./data` by default. The default SQLite database is `./data/app.db`, and SQLite may also create `app.db-wal` and `app.db-shm` while the server is running.
deployment · github.comBackup: export/import JSON; merge or replace; scope full or single project. JSON export is not a complete `DATA_DIR` disaster-recovery backup (uploaded wallpapers and `audit_events` are omitted);
migration · github.com
